Rastas Almanac (April)

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DIGITAL MAGAZINE
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• HIDDEN OIL RESERVES
• Over 70 Uses for Coconut oil found here.

• DIASPORA NEWS BRIEFS
• Articles and Videos from around the world

• CONTENTS

March 2012

• Benjamin Banneker,
• father of all Almanacs

LAUNCH ISSUE !!!

• Knowledge Video Key 312

• STOP EATING POISON
• How to Video on growing your own food and
  decreasing the consumption of GMOs.

• Talk Amongst Your Selves. Video up for
  discussion, next month

GTA

• READ the Secret Code of Plastics.
• Learn what the numbers mean in relation to your
  health.

• CLASSIFIEDS

SOURCES
PSLAMS

• ADVERTISING WITH US is Cheap and Far Reaching

Contact US.
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Hidden Oil Reserves

• 1. Moisturizer simply scoop some out of
  the jar and apply all over your body, including
  neck and face.
• 2. Eye cream apply under the eyes to reduce
  puffiness, bags, and wrinkles. Use on the lids in
  the evening.
• 3. Pre-shave coconut oil will prep skin
  for the pending damage caused by shaving.
• 4. Aftershave coconut oil will help heal
  your skin after shaving without clogging pores.
• 5. Deodorant coconut oil alone can be
  used as a deodorant, but even more effective in
  combination with cornstarch/arrowroot powder and
  baking soda!
• 6. Hair Conditioner/Deep Treatment - use as
  a leave in hair conditioner by applying a
  teaspoon of coconut oil to your ends and then
  running your fingers through your hair to
  distribute the rest! For a deeper treatment, rub
  in a tablespoon of coconut oil onto your dry
  scalp and gently work through to the ends. Put a
  shower cap on to prevent transfer onto bed linens
  and leave on overnight.
• 7. Hair Gel/De-frizzer rub a little
  between your palms and either scrunch into hair
  (for curly hair) or finger comb in through from
  scalp to ends (for wavy/straight hair).

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Hidden Oil Reserves (9)

• 72. Insect repellent mix coconut oil with
  peppermint oil extract and rub it all over
  exposed skin. Keeps insects off better than
  anything with Deet! Tons safer too.
• 73. Great for dogs and cats for general
  wellness. Just add a teaspoon to their water bowl
  daily.
• 74. Goo Gone - just mix equal parts coconut oil
  and baking soda into a paste. Apply to the
  sticky area and let it set for a minute. Then
  scrub off with an old toothbrush or the scrubby
  side of a sponge.
• 75. Chewing Gum in Hair Remover just rub some
  coconut oil over the stuck chewing gum, leave in
  for about 30 minutes, then roll the gum between
  your fingertip. Voila! Its out!
• 76. Polish Furniture - coconut oil with a
  little bit of lemon juice to polish wood
  furniture. However, I recommend you test it first
  on a very small, unobtrusive part of your
  furniture to make sure it works the way youd
  like.
• 77. Polishing Bronze - all you have to do is
  rub a little oil into a cotton towel and then
  wipe down the statue. It cleans and helps deepen
  the color of your bronze.
• 78. Seasoning animal hide drums
• 79. Seasoning cookware
• 80. Moisturizing and cleaning leather products

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Hidden Oil Reserves(10)

• 68. Use 1 cup to 1 cup ratio when replacing
  other oils/butter in recipes with coconut oil.
• 69. Replacement for butter/lard/Crisco/PAM in
  its solid form greasing pans, pie crusts, etc.
• 70. Replacement for various oils in liquid form
  baking, cooking, sautéing, etc.
• 71. Nutritional supplement melt and add to
  smoothies.

Your Video Link Here Contact RA2012_at_mail.com
6
Hidden Oil Reserves (7)

• 49. H. pylori
• 50. Candida albicans
• 51. Asthma, even in children
• 52. Autism
• 53. Cholesterol - improves HDL ('good'
  cholesterol) to HDL ('bad' cholesterol) ratio in
  people with high cholesterol
• 54. Chronic fatigue
• 55. Circulation/feeling cold all the time
• 56. Stronger immune system
• 57. Mental Clarity
• 58. Depression
• 59. Helps with inflammation in Crohns

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Hidden Oil Reserves (6)

• 40. Parasites
• 41. Thrush
• 42. Relieve gallbladder pain
• 43. Has helped some people improve symptoms of
  an underactive thyroid gland, results have shown
  subsequent thyroid blood tests becoming normal
• 44. Energy boost
• 45. Removed by Editor
• 46. May relieve acid reflux and indigestion
  when taken with each meal
• 47. Adrenal fatigue
• 48. Alzheimer's

Your Ad Here ra2012_at_mail.com
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Hidden Oil Reserves (5)

• 30. Eczema in addition to taking it
  internally, many have success applying it
  externally, some don't
• 31. Removed by editor for further research
• 32. Toenail fungus
• 33. Hot flashes
• 34. Bleeding hemorrhoids (can also be applied
  externally twice a day)
• 35. Removed by editor, for further research.
• 36. Head lice
• 37. Improvements in menstruation regarding
  pain/cramps and heavy blood flow
• 38. Migraines (with regular use)
• 39. Mononucleosis

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Hidden Oil Reserves (2)

• 8. Toothpaste there are numerous recipes
  out there but I just mix coconut oil and baking
  soda and dab a little of the mix on my
  toothbrush.
• 9. Make up remover use a cotton swab and
  a dab of coconut oil and you would be amazed at
  how well it works!
• 10. Chapstick just rub a little into lips and
  it not only acts as a softening agent but it also
  has an SPF of about 4 so you get a little
  protection!
• 11. Massage Oil pretty simple grab some and
  rub!
• 12. Lubricant it is an all natural, perfectly
  safe personal lubricant. Not compatible with
  latex!
• 13. Sunscreen see my post on natural
  sunscreen for more detailed information.
• 14. Stretch Mark Cream coconut oil is great
  at nourishing damaged skin. It may not be the
  magic stretch mark cure but it will help.

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Hidden Oil Reserves (3)

• 15. Nipple Cream works great to nourish
  cracked, sore, or dry nipples. Apply to a cotton
  ball and leave on your nipples between feedings.
• 16. Diaper salve very comforting on a rashy
  bum with no harsh chemicals. Also safe for cloth
  diapers.
• 17. Cradle cap having issues with dry skin on
  your babys scalp? Coconut oil will not only
  nourish your babys skin, it also helps eliminate
  cradle cap. Just rub a teaspoon onto scalp daily.
• 18. Body scrub mix coconut oil and sugar
  together and rub all over! Rinse off and your
  skin will be super soft! You can add in essential
  oils if you would like a specific smell.
• 19. Healing - when applied on scrapes and cuts,
  coconut oil forms a thin, chemical layer which
  protects the wound from outside dust, bacteria
  and virus. Coconut oil speeds up the healing
  process of bruises by repairing damaged tissues.
  Plus, it smells a heck-of-a-lot better than
  anything from the pharmacy.
• 20. Bug Bites when applied directly to a bug
  bite, coconut oil can stop the itching and
  burning sensation as well as hasten the healing
  process.
• 21. Skin problems coconut oil relieves skin
  problems such as psoriasis, dermatitis, and
  eczema.
• 22. Swimmers Ear mix garlic oil and coconut
  oil and put a few drops in affected ear for about
  10 minutes. Do this 2-3 times a day and it
  usually works within one or two days.

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Hidden Oil Reserves (4)

• 23. Stress Relief - relieve mental fatigue by
  applying coconut oil to the head in a circular,
  massaging motion. The natural aroma of coconuts
  is extremely soothing thus helping to lower your
  stress level.
• 24. Digestion - the saturated fats in coconut
  oil have anti-bacterial properties that help
  control, parasites, and fungi that cause
  indigestion and other digestion related problems
  such as irritable bowel syndrome. The fat in
  coconut oil also aids in the absorption of
  vitamins, minerals and amino acids, making you
  healthier all around.
• 25. Fitness - coconut oil has been proven to
  stimulate your metabolism, improve thyroid
  function, and escalate energy levels, all of
  which help decrease your unwanted fat, while
  increasing muscle.
• 26. Nose bleeds - coconut oil can prevent nose
  bleeding that is caused by sensitivity to weather
  such as extreme hotness and extreme coldness.
  This condition happens when the nasal passages
  become dry because of cold or dry air resulting
  to burns and cracks in the mucus membranes so
  bleeding happens. To prevent this just put
  coconut oil in you nostrils. Coat your finger
  with coconut oil and then lie down and coat your
  finger inside your nose. Doing this will
  strengthen and protect the capillaries in the
  nasal passages. A Vitamin C supplement will also
  help prevent nose bleeding.
• 27. For breastfeeding moms, consuming 3 ½
  tablespoons of coconut oil daily will enrich your
  milk supply.
• 28. Helps with weight loss controlling
  cravings.
• 29. Helps keep blood sugar levels stable and/or
  helps with cravings in those with diabetes.

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Hidden Oil Reserves (8)

• 60. Athletes foot
• 61. Back pain/sore muscles
• 62. Canker sores
• 63. Acne
• 64. Cellulite
• 65. Herpes (applied topically and taken
  internally)
• 66. Genital warts (through topical application
  over 6 weeks, and coconut oil enemas twice a day
  depending on the location of the warts)
• 67. Circumcision healing

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Diaspora News Briefs

• Remember Caribanas roots
• ..By ARNOLD A. AUGUSTE, Publisher/Editor
• I watched, in dismay, the news on television
  last week Wednesday when a number of folks were
  shown at the podium announcing the name change
  for this years Caribana festival.
• There they were, as smug as ever, lauding the
  benefits of the festival to the city and mouthing
  their support.
• Where were they, I thought, 20, 30 years ago
  when members of our community were struggling to
  keep this thing afloat? I remember hearing of
  board members
• taking out personal loans, second mortgages on
  their homes or tapping their credit cards to pay
  the bills. In fact, I have seen some of those
  supporting documents.
• Now that it is a huge success, these folks are
  all over it talking about their efforts to keep
  it going.
• And how?
• The city through its liaison to the festival,
  Councillor Joe Mihevc, announced the usual just
  under 500,000 and a 100,000 reduction in
  permit fees. You remember last week I wrote that
  the city claws back most of the money it gives to
  the festival to pay for such things as the
  police, the rental of the CNE and garbage
  collection? And, yes, they also charge all kinds
  of fees for permits which are now going to be cut
  by 100,000. So how much are the fees they are
  not forgiving? How much were all those fees in
  the first place
• Most of that money the city is giving will be
  paid back to the city or withheld (by the city)
  to pay the bills, and to give to the bandleaders,
  the calypsonians and the steelbands. Of that
  under 500,000, the CCC then and the FMC now
  receives less than 100,000 to run the festival.
  That is why they have to go cap in hand to
  sponsors to raise money and turn over the name of
  the festival to them.

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Diaspora News Briefs

• Remember Caribanas Roots (2)
• Then my good friend, Mike Colle, announced a
  provincial investment of 400,000. Mike, do you
  remember when your government gave 1-million to
  Luminato two years before it was even launched
  and 15-million one year after it was launched?
• What kind of investment is this? Dont you find
  this an insult to the Caribbean community by your
  Liberal government?
• The Festival Management Committee might be
  tempted to blame the Caribana Arts Group for the
  delay because of the court action in getting
  the seed money for the bandleaders, but you
  should be blaming your funders. They are the
  ones holding your money back they are the ones
  starving the bandleaders.
• While a couple or three of the top bandleaders
  might not be tight for funds and may be able to
  get going without this seed money (more like
  chicken feed money), the majority of them
  especially the ones who produce the small- and
  medium-sized bands, are really suffering. These
  are the folks who have been faithful to this
  festival for decades these are the ones who,
  rain or shine, thick or thin, have found a way to
  bring out their bands every year.
• But they need help. They dont need to be
  disrespected like they have been over the years.
  In fact, they need to be paid substantially more
  money than they are now receiving and not as a
  grant or as a gift. The work these people do, the
  effort they make for an entire year getting ready
  for the parade, need to be acknowledged in a very
  tangible way in light of that more than
  450-million.
• And what about all the volunteer hours their
  members put in year after year to help make the
  costumes? Shouldnt they get some of that more
  than 450-million too?

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Benjamin Banneker

• Benjamin Banneker (November 9, 1731 October 9,
  1806) was a free African American astronomer,
  mathematician, surveyor, almanac author and
  farmer.
• Banneker's almanacs and journals
• Title page of an edition of Banneker's 1792
  almanac. At Ellicott's Mills, Banneker made
  astronomical calculations that predicted solar
  and lunar eclipses for inclusion in his
  ephemeris. He placed the ephemeris and its
  subsequent revisions in a number of editions in a
  six-year series of almanacs which were printed
  and sold in six cities in four states (Baltimore,
  Maryland Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wilmington,
  Delaware Alexandria, Petersburg and Richmond,
  Virginia) for the years 1792 through 1797. He
  also kept a series of journals that contained his
  notebooks for astronomical observations and his
  diary. The notebooks additionally contained a
  number of mathematical calculations and puzzles.
• The title page of an edition of Banneker's 1792
  Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia
  Almanack and Ephemeris stated that the
  publication contained
• the Motions of the Sun and Moon, the True Places
  and Aspects of the Planets, the Rising and
  Setting of the Sun, Place and Age of the Moon,
  c.The Lunations, Conjunctions, Eclipses,
  Judgment of the Weather, Festivals, and other
  remarkable Days Days for holding the Supreme and
  Circuit Courts of the United States, as also the
  useful Courts in Pennsylvania, Delaware,
  Maryland, and Virginia. Alsoseveral useful
  Tables, and valuable Receipts.Various Selections
  from the CommonplaceBook of the Kentucky
  Philosopher, an American Sage with interesting
  and entertaining Essays, in Prose and Versethe
  whole comprising a greater, more pleasing, and
  useful Variety than any Work of the Kind and
  Price in North America.
• The 1792 almanac included the times for the
  rising and setting of the sun and moon. Weather
  forecasts and dates for yearly feasts were also
  included. Readers also saw a tide table for the
  Chesapeake Bay and home treatments for illnesses.
  In his 1793 almanac, Banneker included letters
  sent between Thomas Jefferson and himself.17
  The title page of a Baltimore edition of his 1795
  almanac had a woodcut portrait of him as he may
  have appeared, but which a writer later concluded
  was more likely a portrayal of an idealized
  African American youth.
• The almanacs' editors prefaced the publications
  with adulatory references to Banneker and his
  race. The 1792 and 1793 almanacs contained
  lengthy commendations that James McHenry, a
  signer of the 1787 United States Constitution and
  self-described friend of Banneker, had written in
  1791.252627 An excerpt from a 1796 edition
  stated
• Not you ye proud, impute to these the blame
• If Afric's sons to genius are unknown,
• For Banneker has prov'd they may acquire a name,
• As bright, as lasting, as your own.

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Diaspora News Briefs

• Jamaican Coffee Exporters facing Hard Times (2)
• the same period, the price of coffee elsewhere
  roughly doubled, according to the World Coffee
  Organization, as consumer demand has risen for
  mostly inexpensive commodity beans. McLaren said
  the problem has gotten so bad that he would
  accept being paid in fertilizer instead of cash
  just so he can keep his coffee farm healthy and
  maintain his investment.
• "That's what it's come to now," he said, looking
  over his mountainside farm from a ledge.
  "Fertilizer here costs more than a box of our
  coffee." Demand for the island's coffee has
  plunged in Japan, where coffee lovers have long
  paid top dollar for Jamaican beans. Japan used to
  buy nearly 90 percent of Jamaica's crop and
  helped the island develop its brand. Now Japanese
  importers buy around 60 percent at depreciated
  prices and have stopped advance payments for
  green coffee, shifting the costs to Jamaican
  exporters.
• Toyohide Nishino, executive director of the All
  Japan Coffee Association, said his country's love
  affair with Blue Mountain coffee has dulled
  because even discriminating Japanese consumers
  are looking for cheaper products at a time of
  economic stagnation.
• "Consumers really have to watch their budgets,
  and Blue Mountain coffee is an expensive brand,"
  Nishino said. "So instead of Blue Mountain,
  coffee from Colombia and Brazil is more popular
  these days."
• This year, Jamaica is projected to produce just
  140,000 60-pound (27-kilogram) boxes of branded
  Blue Mountain coffee, far below the record crop
  of 529,704 boxes in 2003. Even in 2004, when
  Jamaica's coffee business was ravaged by Category
  4 Hurricane Ivan, it managed to produce 236,405
  boxes of Blue Mountain coffee.
• As some farmers gave up in the lush Blue
  Mountains that tower over eastern Jamaica, their
  untended fields exacerbated a problem for those
  who remained by creating a breeding ground for
  the coffee berry borer, an invasive pest
  originally from Central Africa that is a headache
  for coffee growers around the world.
• Officials say some Jamaican farmers could lose
  as much as half of their coffee crop this year
  due to the borer, an opportunistic bug smaller
  than a sesame seed that flourishes in abandoned
  fields and then spreads to working farms, further
  diminishing supply.
• Industry leaders are distributing about 50,000
  sticky traps containing a dab of pheromone that
  lures the tiny beetles inside, and they're trying
  to educate farmers about how to get rid of the
  pests by hand. The government, meanwhile, is
  distributing small aid payments to help with
  fertilizer purchases.
• Gusland McCook, advisory officer with Jamaica's
  Coffee Industry Board, said the island has to get
  the borer population down or else its "going to
  be catastrophic." And the fall in prices for Blue
  Mountain beans makes that tougher.

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Diaspora News Briefs

• Jamaican Coffee Exporters facing Hard Times (3)
• Derrick Simon, president of the All Island
  Jamaica Coffee Growers' Association, argues that
  the industry is in trouble largely because it
  foolishly relied on Japan almost exclusively for
  years and failed to diversify its markets.
• McCook agrees that Jamaica needs to push into
  new markets. "I don't believe we should be
  looking back with much regret, but we should have
  been looking forward in a better way. You could
  say we have been slow to react and look forward
  and make adjustments."
• Jamaica has been trying to expand the market for
  Blue Mountain coffee in Europe and the U.S.,
  where adventurous coffee lovers can order it
  online from several sellers. The Coffee Industry
  Board also is looking for a toehold in China,
  where analysts predict coffee consumption will
  grow.
• Prices have edged back up, although they're
  still far below what growers used to get. Mavis
  Bank Coffee Factory Ltd., a major Jamaican
  processor and exporter, just promised growers a
  final price of 35.75 for each box they produce.
• Not all Jamaican growers face the same
  hardships. Farmers with a do-it-yourself approach
  at higher, cooler elevations find they don't need
  to spray often for the damaging beetle, which is
  far more common at lower altitudes.
• David Twyman of the Old Tavern Coffee Estate
  brand cultivates and roasts coffee at his
  family's 150-acre property and relies largely on
  mail order customers in the U.S., Canada and
  Taiwan who come back year after year.
• "We've found that once we get people to try our
  coffee, they will be back," Twyman said at his
  lush farm perched high in the mountains perch
  where he gives tours and steaming cups of black
  coffee to tourists and other visitors. "Our
  customers want a more personal connection."
• -------------------------------- ----------------
  -

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The Secret Code of Plastics

• Every plastic item has a symbol and a code on
  the bottom
• But which ones can be recycled and which ones
  are unsafe as toys or for food storage?
• Reading the bottom of a plastic container can
  mean the world of difference when it comes to
  personal health and the environment. While the
  reading plastic codes doesnt make for great
  reading, it will identify itself as being safe
  for food storage, or if its a potential toxin.
• Plastic ID Codes
• The bottom of most plastic items whether its
  a toy, a storage container or food have a
  recycling code. This indicates whether the item
  can be put in with domestic recycling, or whether
  it should be avoided in the first place.
• Many toys sold in Canada are still made with
  PVC, though it is an item that has been banned by
  various countries in the EU. Many more items that
  are sold in dollar stores contain phthalates, and
  Bisphenol A elements that leech toxins into the
  air, water and ground as they degrade.
• Recyclable Plastics
• 1 - PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)
  This plastic is usually found in water and
  mouthwash bottles, disposable drinking cups,
  peanut butter jars, and frozen food trays. It is
  not known to leach any toxic by-products, and can
  be placed in household recycling.
• 2 - HDPE (high-density polyethylene) Used to
  make margarine tubs, juice jugs, some household
  cleaners, and shampoo bottles. These also low
  risk of leaching. Some cities may not recycle
  shampoo bottles, and suggest you bring them to a
  local hair salon, where they can dispose of them.

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The Secret Code of Plastics (2)

• Many toys sold in Canada are still made with
  PVC, though it is an item that has been banned by
  various countries in the EU. Many more items that
  are sold in dollar stores contain phthalates, and
  Bisphenol A elements that leech toxins into the
  air, water and ground as they degrade.
• Recyclable Plastics
• 1 - PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)
  This plastic is usually found in water and
  mouthwash bottles, disposable drinking cups,
  peanut butter jars, and frozen food trays. It is
  not known to leach any toxic by-products, and can
  be placed in household recycling.
• 2 - HDPE (high-density polyethylene) Used to
  make margarine tubs, juice jugs, some household
  cleaners, and shampoo bottles. These also low
  risk of leaching. Some cities may not recycle
  shampoo bottles, and suggest you bring them to a
  local hair salon, where they can dispose of them.
  
• 4 - LDPE (low-density polyethylene) This type
  of plastic is used to create squeezable bottles
  and thin, plastic bags, like bread bags, dry
  cleaning and shopping bags and some forms of
  carpet. While bags can be recycled in some
  communities, carpeting and tote bags made from
  this plastic cannot be recycled.
• Type 4 plastic isnt frequently used in items
  other than bags, but it also has a low risk of
  leaching. It can be recycled along with other
  plastic bags in Torontos recycling program,
  where it is recycled into trash can liners and
  cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling,
  lumber, landscaping ties and floor tile.

20
The Secret Code of Plastics (3)

• Food Safety and Cookware
• 5 - PP (polypropylene) Used to make straws,
  yogurt containers, syrup, ketchup, and medicine
  bottles. It is a low risk of leaching. Can be
  disposed of in most community recycling programs.
• Unsafe Plastics to Avoid
• 3 - PVC (polyvinyl chloride) - cooking oil
  bottles, food packaging, and plastic wrap some
  3s can leach phthalates, which can cause
  reproductive abnormalities. It has been linked to
  cancer and other health problems. Many countries
  around the world have banned this from of plastic
  from being used in manufacturing, or being
  recycled or burned in incinerators, as it leaches
  toxins into the air and soil.
• 6 - PS (polystyrene) - egg cartons, meat trays,
  and Styrofoam when heated, some 6s can release
  styrene, a suspected carcinogen. Egg cartons and
  meat trays can be recycled in some cities Check
  to see if your area accepts polystyrene in the
  recycling bin.
• 7 - "Other" or Type O This type of plastic is
  often a form of acrylic or include acrylonitrile
  butadiene styrene, fiberglass, nylon,
  polycarbonate, and polylactic acid. It is used to
  make gallon-size water bottles, and baby bottles.
  Some 7s are safe, but some are polycarbonates and
  may leach Bisphenol A (BPA) as it breaks down.
  BPA has been linked to various health concerns.

21
Diaspora News Briefs

• 206 killed in Republic of Congo arms depot
  blasts
• March 04, 2012 BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo
  (AP) Homes and buildings collapsed in the
  Congolese capital after an arms depot exploded
  Sunday, killing at least 206 people and entombing
  countless others in crushed structures including
  inside two churches that buckled while
  parishioners were celebrating Mass, officials and
  witnesses said.
• The shock waves shattered windows in a
  three-mile (five-kilometer) radius surrounding
  the barracks storing the munitions, including
  across the river that separates Brazzaville, the
  capital of the Republic of Congo, from Kinshasa,
  the capital of the larger Central African nation
  of Congo. Government spokesman Bienvenu Okyemi
  blamed a short-circuit for the fire that set off
  the successive blasts.
• It's like a tsunami passed through here," said
  Christine Ibata, a student. "The roofs of houses
  were blown off." Some 1,500 people were injured,
  Okyemi said on national radio. The register of a
  morgue in Brazzaville already had 136 bodies
  Sunday afternoon, as more continued to arrive. A
  doctor at the capital's military hospital who
  asked not to be named because he was not
  authorized to speak to the press reported 70 more
  deaths.
• Okyemi put the official toll at 146 dead, at a
  late-night news conference, but said rescue
  workers still were looking for corpses. He said
  the main fire was under control, though some
  homes still were burning.

22
206 Killed in Republic of Congo arms depot blasts.
Diaspora News Briefs

• www.TelevisionFanatic.comResidents woke up
  thinking that either an earthquake had hit them,
  or else a coup was under way in this nation that
  suffered through a 1997 civil war. Defense
  Minister Charles Zacharie Boawo appeared on
  national television to urge calm in Brazzaville
  and in the neighboring capital, Kinshasa.
• "The explosions that you have heard don't mean
  there is a war or a coup d'etat," he said. "Nor
  does it mean there was a mutiny. It is an
  incident caused by a fire at the munitions
  depot." Didier Boutsindi, an official in the
  president's office, said the explosion woke him
  "with the force of an earthquake." Doors in his
  house, located several miles (kilometers) away
  from the epicenter of the blast, were thrown open
  and several windows cracked. He began making
  calls, and when he realized the origin of the
  explosion, his first thought was his uncle, whose
  home is located just next to the depot.
• "The house fell completely," Boutsindi said. "He
  was sleeping. His wife was at church. His
  children small children were playing
  outside," he said. "The neighbors dug out the
  body and brought him to the morgue."
• The uncle's body was among the countless others
  that were being brought in by car, on stretchers,
  and carried by shell-shocked residents. The death
  toll is expected to rise, Boutsindi said, as many
  more people remained trapped inside crushed
  structures, including the faithful of the St.
  Louis Catholic Church, who were attending Mass
  when the blasts began at the barracks across the
  road. A smaller evangelical church also fell to
  the ground, witnesses said, burying its
  parishioners.
• The explosions caused buildings to shake as far
  away as Kinshasa, separated from Brazzaville by
  the 3-mile-wide (4.8-kilometer-wide) Congo River.
  An enormous plume of smoke could be seen snaking
  across the sky.
• Patients crowded into hospitals, some with torn
  clothes and shocked expressions. Some lay on the
  floor as medics struggled to treat the crowd.
  France, the former colonial power, is sending a
  shipment of emergency aid to Brazzaville after
  the explosions, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said
  in a statement Sunday. Condolences began arriving
  from around the world.
• "I was greatly saddened to hear of the large
  number of casualties in the explosions which
  occurred in Brazzaville today," British Foreign
  Secretary William Hague said in a statement. "Our
  thoughts are with the families."
• Among the dead were Chinese workers working for a
  company located near the depot that was building
  low-income housing. China's official Xinhua News
  Agency said six Chinese had been killed and
  another was missing. It said that the victims
  worked for Beijing Construction Engineering
  Group, which had about 140 Chinese workers at its
  construction site when the blasts happened.
• Xinhua quoted an official from the Chinese
  Embassy as saying dozens of Chinese workers were
  injured in the blasts and some were in serious
  condition. The dormitory building of Huawei
  Technologies Ltd, China's largest maker of
  telecommunications equipment, was badly damaged,
  Xinhua said.

23
Diaspora News Briefs

• Blasts in the Republic of Congo
• Blue Mountain Coffee in the Red
• Remembering Caribanas Roots
• Farrakhan Speaks on Obamas historical racial and
  political alienation AUDIO
• Swedish Reporters sentenced to 11 years in
  Ethiopian Jail.
• Haitis Prime Minister Quits after 4 months

24
Diaspora News Briefs

• Farrakhan Speaks on Obama's historical racial and
  political alienation AUDIO

25
Diaspora News Briefs

• Swedish reporters sentenced to 11 yrs in
  Ethiopia
• December 27, 2011 ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP)
  A court in Ethiopia has sentenced two Swedish
  journalists to 11 years in prison on charges of
  supporting terrorism after the two illegally
  entered the country with an ethnic Somali rebel
  group in a case that has been criticized by media
  rights groups.
• Judge Shemsu Sirgaga ruled Tuesday that the two
  freelance journalists Johan Persson and Martin
  Schibbye will serve "rigorous imprisonment"
  following their convictions last week. Ethiopian
  troops had captured Persson and Schibbye six
  months ago during a clash with rebels in eastern
  Ethiopia's restive Somali region, a no-go area
  for reporters. Ethiopia considers the rebel group
  a terrorist organization, and it is very
  difficult for journalists to gain access to the
  region. Rights groups say that is so abuses there
  are not exposed.
• The judge has accused the Ogaden National
  Liberation Front or ONLF of organizing the
  Swedes' journey starting in London. Outlawed
  groups in many countries frequently facilitate
  the travels of reporters in order to have their
  version of events told.
• There was no visible reaction to the sentencing
  from the two journalists. The defendants' lawyers
  plan to hold a meeting at the Swedish Embassy
  later Tuesday to discuss the possibility of an
  appeal. In Sweden, Foreign Ministry spokesman
  Anders Jorle called the sentencing expected but
  regrettable. He said Sweden has been in contact
  with the Ethiopian government over the court case
  "at a high level."
• Their Swedish lawyer, Thomas Olsson, could not
  be immediately reached for comment but told
  national broadcaster SVT that the sentence was a
  disappointment, but that he and his clients had
  not yet decided if they would appeal.
• "We will try to adjust to the new situation and
  help them as much as possible," he said, noting
  that an appeal can take up to two years and that
  the alternative would be for them to try to get
  pardoned.
• Norwich.Edu/DiplomacyWhat is Quantum
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26
Diaspora News Briefs

• Swedish reporters sentenced to 11 yrs in Ethiopia
  (2)
• The pair said they had been gathering news about
  a Swedish oil company that is exploring
  Ethiopia's Somali region for oil. Sweden's
  foreign minister, Carl Bildt, was a member of the
  board of the company Lundin Petroleum between
  2000 and 2006, and left the board when he was
  appointed foreign minister.
• Persson and Schibbye have acknowledged that they
  entered Ethiopia illegally. Jonas Nordling,
  chairman of The Swedish Union of Journalists,
  called Tuesday's sentencing "a setback for
  journalism, and it's a personal tragedy for
  Martin and Johan and their families. We will do
  all we can to support them."
• "It's clear that it's a political sentence. A
  heavy responsibility now lies on the Swedish
  government to solve this on a political level,"
  he said, noting that the freedom of the press
  must be protected and defended.
• Swedish government officials have said that the
  two Swedes were on a "journalistic mission," and
  have pushed for the two to be freed. The
  international community has closely followed the
  terror trial against the Swedes. Rights groups
  and diplomats say Ethiopia's anti-terrorism
  proclamation restricts freedom of expression and
  is used as a tool to crack down on dissent.
• Amnesty International said it believes the two
  Swedes are "prisoners of conscience, prosecuted
  because of their legitimate work."
• -------------------------------------------------
  -------------------------------
• Associated Press reporter Louise Nordstrom in
  Stockholm contributed to this report.

27
Diaspora News Briefs

• Haitis Prime Minister Quits after 4 months
• In February 24, 2012By the CNN Wire Staff
• Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille speaks at a
  press conference on January 6 in Port-au-Prince
  .Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly said
  late Friday he had accepted the resignation of
  Prime Minister Garry Conille, thanking him for
  his service and promising to move quickly to
  replace him.
• Conille just assumed the position in October
  after being ratified by the country's Senate. His
  reasons for stepping down were not immediately
  clear.
• "This morning, Prime Minister Garry Conille
  presented me with his letter of resignation, I
  accepted it. I take this opportunity to thank him
  for his commitment. Of course, I regret that the
  resignation occurs in the context of where the
  country stands," said Martelly.
• The president asked domestic and foreign
  investors to keep calm and promised that the
  country's leaders are "committed to harmonizing
  our efforts for a quick resolution of this
  situation and proposing a new prime minister."
• "Haitian people, you know you can count on me,
  as I can count on you. I made you promises I
  will respect them," Martelly said.
• Conille, a former United Nations development
  specialist, served as chief of staff for former
  President Bill Clinton when the latter served as
  special U.N. envoy in Haiti.
• In that role, Conille was involved in
  international aid delivery to Haiti following the
  devastating earthquake in 2010.
• "This resignation comes at a time when the
  Haitian people are eager to embark decisively on
  the path toward reconstruction, economic growth
  and the strengthening of the country's rule of
  law institutions," the spokesman for U.N.
  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

28
Diaspora News Briefs

• Remember Caribanas Roots (3)
• It is time we start putting a real value on all
  the work and effort that go into making Caribana
  (sorry, I cant accept the new name. I hope the
  CAG will bear with me) a reality each year. It is
  time the bandleaders put their differences aside
  and work together to have their talent and the
  product of that talent properly compensated. It
  is recognized, but it needs to be fairly
  compensated.
• As I wrote last week, I really believe that even
  the people who play mas should be compensated.
  Instead of them paying (some in the thousands of
  dollars, depending on the costume) to play in a
  parade which brings in more than 450-million to
  the city each year, benefitting everyone else but
  us, why shouldnt they be compensated? Why
  shouldnt the bandleaders receive enough money to
  pay their workers and their performers? The days
  of the free sugar plantation labour or the free
  cotton picking are long over. Or are they?
• It is all well and good for these nice folks to
  get up and talk about how wonderful Caribana or
  whatever the hell they are calling it now is
  and to mouth words of support for the festival,
  but we need to see their cash. We need the city,
  the province and the feds to increase their
  commitments. We need the businesses which benefit
  the most from that more than 450-million to also
  put something back so that the carnival
  bandleaders, the steelpan performers and the
  calypsonians, without whom there would be no
  carnival, can see a real return for their
  contribution to the success of the festival.
• Since we dont know how much the bank is
  providing no one is allowed to say except that
  the bank never discloses what it donates we
  cant say if they also need to step up but I have
  a feeling that they get a hell of a lot more from
  this festival in terms of publicity and goodwill
  than they put into it. By the way, do you think
  if they were providing real money they wouldnt
  find a way to let us know?
• Oh, yeah, and 10,000 will be donated as prize
  money for the entertainers. Are these people for
  real or do they think we are really that stupid?
• We are not asking for any favours. It is we who
  are and have been for the past 43 years (44
  this year) giving out favours to everyone else
  but ourselves. It is time that this is recognized
  and treated accordingly.
• The FMCs Denise Herrera-Jackson was quoted
  last week as saying We have to bring the
  festival in line with others like Luminato and
  the Harbourfront Centre Sounds good to
  meexceptis she just speaking of the output or
  is she also speaking of the input, as in the
  financial investment from the beneficiaries?

29
Diaspora News Briefs

• Remember Caribanas Roots (4)
• I know that the FMC staff are just employees
  hired by the city (or by those appointed by the
  city) to do a job but they need to be respectful
  in what they say about the history of this
  festival and those who started it. The FMCs
  Chris Alexander was quoted as saying something
  about Caribana being important to the roots of
  this city. Caribana is only important to this
  city as far as the money it brings in. If it was
  important in any other way, it would have been
  financed properly and you folks would not be in
  the financial bind that you reportedly are in to
  pay the bandleaders and other outstanding debts.
• Learn and understand the history of this
  festival and those who started it and nurtured
  it. Dont be taken in by those mealy-mouthed
  folks standing up now and talking about what they
  dont know. Remember the real roots of Torontos
  Caribana in Laventille Behind-the-Bridge East
  Dry River Observatory Street Belmont Circular
  Road Woodbrook, San Juan Arima San Fernando.
  Remember Jab Jab and Midnight Robber. Remember
  George Bailey and Harold Saldenah remember
  Renegades, Invaders, Tokyo, San Juan All Stars
  and Despers and bottle, stone and cutlass on Park
  Street.
• It is the evolution of that rich culture that
  members of our community brought with them to
  this city which they wanted to celebrate and to
  share, not to have it usurped stolen by
  others.
• Weve come a long way. We have endured much. We
  are not going to just give it away now.
• Or are we?
• And, by the way, Caribana is not a multicultural
  festival.

30
SOURCES

• Hidden Oil Reserves 80 Uses for Coconut oil
  Hybridrastamama.com
• Diaspora News Briefs
• Blasts in the Congo Article Mail.com, World News
  Archives
• Remember Caribanas Roots Share magazine,
  Toronto
• Reporters Sentenced to 11 years. Article
  Mail.com, World News, Archives
• Farrakhan Talks about Obama YouTube, uploader
  Ahmad770
• Jamaica's farmed coffee industry facing hard
  times Mail.com World News, Archives
• Haitis Prime minister Calls it quits after 4
  months
• Stop Eating Poison Youtube video Hydroponics
  for Beginners, uploader hiedi2006
• The Secret Code of Plastics Article
  Suite101.com
• Video Key All Video and Links from Youtube
  under account names mentioned
• Benjamin Banneker Wikipedia, Benjamin Banneker
  (truncated)
• Talk Amungst Yourselves Youtube, uploader
  abstract1968
• Psalms 23 21st Century King James Via
  Biblegateway.com

31
Diaspora News Briefs

• Jamaica's famed coffee industry facing hard
  times
• March 02, 2012 BRANDON HILL, Jamaica (AP) A
  few years ago in this mist-shrouded mountain
  town, steep slopes were quilted with some of the
  world's most valuable coffee trees. Farmers
  scrambled to increase acreage and pickers
  painstakingly filled wooden boxes with ripened
  berries at harvest time.
• Today, much of the terrain is overgrown with
  underbrush and bamboo as a declining luxury
  market in Japan and a voracious beetle drive
  thousands of frustrated small farmers away from
  tiny plots of leased highlands. s
• Times are hard for the growers of Jamaica's
  legendary coffee, especially those on isolated,
  low-tech farms such as the ones in Brandon Hill,
  a one-road enclave with no traffic lights. "We
  used to make a living, but now we're working
  hungry," said Colin McLaren, standing in his
  sloping farm of flowering coffee trees in
  Jamaica's wild eastern mountains, where his
  father grew the gourmet arabica beans before him.
  "It's tough and getting tougher."
• Jamaica produces what connoisseurs rank as one
  of the world's finest coffees, mostly grown on
  patches of a few acres between 2,000 to 5,000
  feet (610 to 1,525 meters) above sea level. The
  moist, cool climate of the Blue Mountains
  lengthens the growing period from five to about
  10 months, allowing sugars to develop in the
  beans that grow inside the berries. Many coffee
  lovers say the rich brew has a smooth, nutty
  flavor and a deep, intriguing aftertaste.
• The roasted beans often sell for about 40 a
  pound in the United States, up to four times the
  price of other gourmet coffees. In Japan, the
  main market for Blue Mountain coffee, the beans
  fetch as much as 34 for a 100-gram (3.5-ounce)
  package.
• But consumers are buying less because of the
  global economic slump. And that has brought
  declines in purchases by coffee dealers, as well
  as big drops in the prices paid to Jamaica's
  growers. Like farmers everywhere, they get only a
  small fraction of the retail price after
  middlemen, processors, shippers, retailers and
  others take their slices of the pie.
• Meanwhile, the cost of producing coffee has
  soared for Jamaicans as inflation has driven
  prices for fertilizer, insecticide and wages
  higher over the last decade and powerful storms
  damaged their trees. Between 2005 and 2009, the
  cost of tending an acre of coffee almost doubled,
  jumping from 3,400 to 7,070.
• An increasing number of exasperated Jamaican
  farmers say they can't even eke out a bare living
  growing the specialty crop. The nation's Coffee
  Industry Board says Jamaican farmers received an
  average of 50.57 for every 60-pound
  (27-kilogram) box of Blue Mountain coffee
  cherries they produced during the 2006-2007
  season. Last year, they got 28.91.

32
Stop Eating Poison
You may already know that the majority of the
produce found in grocery stores are in fact
genetically modified. In some cases genetically
modified food has been classified as organic
purely for corporate financial gain as
Organically Grown food is considerably more
expensive. As a result home gardening has
become incredibly popular.
Click the pepper to see video on how to grow
produce at home.
33
Knowledge Video Key (2)

• There are numerous sources for information
  regarding history, philosophy and sciences.
• The Video Key is curated monthly to show both
  the most influential and interesting. We provide
  links to the YouTube accounts. Subscribe and or
  watch videos from the YouTube site.

Khan Academy Lectures on popular mechanics
Afrisynergy Bringing the news information that
really matters to the African Diaspora and
Africa. This does not exclude others but does
focus on areas pertinent to the progress of
Black peoples throughout the world
RingoTV Commentary on bible and tv ministries
ModernDayBabylon documentary popular culture
12THRONES Street Ministries (Israelites) I.S.P.U.K
34
Knowledge Video Key

• There are numerous sources for information
  regarding history, philosophy and sciences.
• The Video Key is curated monthly to show both
  the most influential and interesting. We provide
  links to the YouTube accounts. Subscribe and or
  watch videos from the YouTube site.

FlexYourRights tutorials on how to correctly
affirm your rights
tehutiblack How to Survive the fall of Rome
Know4life Knowledge for LIFE is dedicated to
bringing relevant news, information and life
enhancing projects in the Black and
disadvantaged communities via multimedia.
Ahmad770 Most recent Farrakhan addresses
TheHealthRanger News on foods and food sources
in relation to corporate interests
35
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37
Talk Amongst Your Selves
Video Clean Renewable Energy, Melanin
The next issue will feature your comments
regarding this video and a new media to discuss.
If you have a comment or related sources email
ra2012_at_mail.com and put talk in the subject
heading. Include your name or alias.
38
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39
Diaspora News Briefs

• Jamaican Coffee Exporters facing Hard Times
• March 02, 2012 BRANDON HILL, Jamaica (AP) A
  few years ago in this mist-shrouded mountain
  town, steep slopes were quilted with some of the
  world's most valuable coffee trees. Farmers
  scrambled to increase acreage and pickers
  painstakingly filled wooden boxes with ripened
  berries at harvest time.
• Today, much of the terrain is overgrown with
  underbrush and bamboo as a declining luxury
  market in Japan and a voracious beetle drive
  thousands of frustrated small farmers away from
  tiny plots of leased highlands.
• Times are hard for the growers of Jamaica's
  legendary coffee, especially those on isolated,
  low-tech farms such as the ones in Brandon Hill,
  a one-road enclave with no traffic lights. "We
  used to make a living, but now we're working
  hungry," said Colin McLaren, standing in his
  sloping farm of flowering coffee trees in
  Jamaica's wild eastern mountains, where his
  father grew the gourmet arabica beans before him.
  "It's tough and getting tougher."
• Jamaica produces what connoisseurs rank as one
  of the world's finest coffees, mostly grown on
  patches of a few acres between 2,000 to 5,000
  feet (610 to 1,525 meters) above sea level. The
  moist, cool climate of the Blue Mountains
  lengthens the growing period from five to about
  10 months, allowing sugars to develop in the
  beans that grow inside the berries. Many coffee
  lovers say the rich brew has a smooth, nutty
  flavor and a deep, intriguing aftertaste.
• The roasted beans often sell for about 40 a
  pound in the United States, up to four times the
  price of other gourmet
• coffees. In Japan, the main market for Blue
  Mountain coffee, the beans fetch as much as 34
  for a 100-gram (3.5-ounce) package.

40
Psalms 23

• 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)
• The LORD is my shepherd I shall not want.
• 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures He
  leadeth me beside the still waters.
• 3He restoreth my soul He leadeth me in the
  paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
• 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
  shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou
  art with me Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort
  me.