2005

by Joe B.

Pol Day’s

I don’t think of politics or politicians.

Its not that it’s a bother its just that like fashion or fads they change everyday and every four to six years.

There is so much print, words,sound bites devoted to what’s said,not said, should-a,could-awould-a been said if such and such situation occurred or not.

Working in a constantly struggling non profit organization taught me lots of various skills not learned on 9to5 jobs.

It being an art/written, poetic plus helping people of little or no means, hearing about feverish grant writing sessions for monies gets to one at times.

No grant writer am I - it gets hairy as an employee hearing the org is constantly in need of funds even though some funds are earmarked for my pay still one begins looking,placing applications in all sorts of places.

Did G.A.(General Assistance and Work Fare shuffle don't want to go through it again.
Anyone got an old G3-4 PC,lap or desktop they want to give away?

That's the one thing I'd miss writing colunms,short stories on'em.

Possibly making money on the net with a PC connected in my place.

I can learn doing voice over on radio since I’ve read scripts,shortened columns to its essence for radio.

Since most of the time PNN or KPFA 91. 4 FM is a half-hour show dedicated informing the public on politics,promoting itself and others with various kinds of bumper music for mood.

I enjoyed it but would like to branch out,see if I can do other things.

PNN is their show I’m a hired employee,what’s humorous from what I like writing,taling about isn’t used much.

I save my works for when it can used there’s no remaking the wheel.

One story touched on is if Gay men,women and children not suddenly but over time vanished not from violence,or segregated away but from a genetic biological breakthrough.

Its speculative fiction folks,a tale to tell.

This improbable story takes place in other dimensions,worlds,not on our world.

After a dramatic reading it would be said visitors lands in our cities, countries find we have similar kinds of social
gatherings and think they’re helping then I can leave a question mark making an audio series out of it.

Oh,now I do phone advertising,never was good at it,thought my voice is sorta made for it.

For me its torture,but can’t say no because its an as needed job (add on extra job).

Meaning any(fill-in)is your to do job.(It feels that way to me)

Another reason to move on,not looking back.

Time to do this add thing w/phone until its found out I’m not good at it.

Until then,does anyone out there know how one gets voice over job(s) at other radio or television stations?

It may be your lucky day and you'll work for POOR

One things for sure you end with multiple mad-skills.


Magazine.


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Poor Magazine

1095 7th & Market Street,

S.F. Ca.94103

Snail or Email Joe at:

PO Box #204

1230 S.F. 94102

by Harry Harris and William Brand, OAKLAND TRIBUNE

A group of young men viciously beat a homeless man to death
in his makeshift living quarters along a West Oakland railroad siding
early Saturday in what police said was the latest in a similar series of
attacks.

The victim was identified as Dalrus Joseph Brown, 52. He was known on
the street as "DJ." Police said robbery was not a motive.
Homicide Sgt. Bruce Brock said the suspects -- three to five young men
ranging in age from 16 to 20 -- not only beat the man for several
minutes while other homeless people watched helplessly -- "they also
ripped apart his shelter."
Brock said, "It is pretty cowardly for a group of people to viciously
attack an obviously defenseless person. He was a completely innocent
victim."

The attack -- which may have started while the man was sleeping --
happened about
5 a.m. on a railroad siding that runs behind the old Nabisco plant near
14th and Poplar streets, police said.
The Alameda County Coroner's office said death apparently was caused by
a blunt object.
Brock said after the attack the suspects were seen walking possibly
toward a nearby public housing project.
He said the suspects in the beating did not live at the encampment.

The deadly attack was the most recent in a series of severe beatings of
homeless men living in West Oakland encampments
by the same or a similar group of suspects, police said.
At least two other victims required hospitalization. One man was
attacked on Kirkham Street and the other in the area of 32nd and Helen
streets.

Hours later, Ron Gibbs, the homeless man who saw the body and called
police, sat on a bench near the murder scene watching detectives examine
the debris-strewn crime scene.
"I saw the guy around for a six or seven years and we got to talking to
each other," he said. "I've been jumped a few times and hurt. Other
times these guys show up and throw bottles at us. I don't sleep there
anymore."

The man, who was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics, was
sprawled on blankets with what appeared to be personal items strewn
about. His face and clothing were bloodied.

Three teenagers, 14 to 15, were arrested two weeks ago after savagely
beating a homeless man with a board near 30th and Myrtle streets. Police
believe there may have been other attacks not reported.
Police are trying to notify homeless people in the area about the
potential danger as well as trying to find them living quarters, said
Lt. Paul Berlin, who supervises West Oakland.

He said trying to locate the homeless during the day is somewhat
difficult because they are usually away from their encampments. So he is
having officers working the overnight shift to contact the homeless.
The murder scene is less than 100 feet from National Recycling Center, a
major destination for homeless and street people selling cans they have
collected. A note on the entrance states the premises are covered by a
surveillance camera.

But Rose Wang, who works at the recycling center, said the camera only
transmits live images. "But now we're definitely going to upgrade our
system," Wang said.

At the campsite, the ground was covered with garbage, parts of bicycles,
discarded bedding and plastic tarps.
Henry Singleton of the East Oakland Community Project said while no one
has come into the project complaining about an assault, the homelessness
situation is bad; it seems to be an ongoing thing.

The killing was Oakland's 44th homicide of 2004. Last year at this time
there were 60 homicides.
Crime Stoppers of Oakland is offering up to $10,000 reward for
information leading to the arrest of the suspects. Anyone with
information can call police at 238-3821 or Crime Stoppers at 238-6946.

by Joe B.

Classic 2 Cola

Is this set-up No.2 too?

Anyone remember Classic Coke ads years ago when the smart folks decided to monkey around with the original formula?

Not leaving cocaine out in the early to mid 1950’s that particular ingredient had to go.

No wonder teens could get enough of the brown sweet drink especially if a light buzz or high came with every sip.

Remember a couple of years ago Coke had a similar campaign?

Most of us know what happened.

The company messed up the formula I don’t what they did or how they did it but they either not quite done or over did but it coke never tasted the same.

Now this Classic 2 hmm, could it be they researched what went wrong and have decided to bring back the original taste minus the cocaine?

Maybe its just me but if it taste like it use to taste or better that means they’ve found the original formula then improved upon it – fine.

Except its like a shell game to make money on the same damn pea with the public falling into place like Pavlov’s dog slobbering for its cola fix.

Wanna get fooled again people looks like that’s the game they’re playing but remember all their profits come from us being consumers however there healthier choices on the market now and everything does not go better with coke.

I’m knocking the bottling company a little they can take it raking in billions of dollars world wide but its our choice to give ‘em the money.

I haven’t tried classic 2 yet but if and when I do whatever I feel about the subject will not be shared because this taste thing is subjective all I’m saying is be aware of all these ads on TV.

Another thing don’t you wish you had a switch to keep credits rolling to the end of shows like "Cold Case,C.S.I. Miami/New York or its original C.S.I.,or that A.I. Movie.
Artificial Intelligence

I like the slower scroll of the credits on television not the whipcord hi speed/split screen into "The news starts now" crap.

Jesus Christ! let me in bask in the end-of-show respite before hurling into global turmoil news feeds.

Folks you know what I’m talking about.

It’s bad enough with commercials in movies now in our own space we should have a technical option of keeping our own screens whole.

It won’t bother the ad folks,we’re not infringing on their moneymaking but for we at home with a beer, martini,ThunderBird,or Champaign at the ready really doesn’t want to see all that.

The last thing wanted is our favorite show(s)end- sped into the news.

Am I the only one slightly upset over this split screen speed up, voice over stuff?

We have thousands of technical people working to improving the speed of wireless communications globally and yet there’s no control to bypass the end of program speed split screen voice over into news.

I’m not tech ex on any of these emerging technologies but isn’t it possible to have choices when watching television.

Oh,I forgot Poor Magazine really needs PLE H,I mean H E L P.

Yours truly is phoning up other non-profits for ad space,which would work given that POOR Magazine’s on-line is a global entity.

Trouble is I’m not good at getting people to place ads here.

Now if it was my own business well that’s different but as an employee and all its…

I’m not good at reading off scripts because as a script it looks and sounds rote and robotic.

I end up off it so non-profit folks if you need to place an ad do it here at least it’ll go around the world a few times.

If folks have slightly used laptops,G3’s,4’s,5’s, desktop PC’s,or web cams, to give away we would put it to great use who knows it may be your web cam or PC that may enable you to see on line what POOR Magazine.

Org is all about without buying our $5 dollar hard copy magazine and other publications.

That’s all from me by for now.

Please send donations to


Poor Magazine

1095 7th & Market Street,

S.F. Ca.94103

Snail or EmailJoe at:

PO Box #204

1230 S.F. 94102

by Leroy Moore/Illin n chillin

In my recent article, "Can You Feel Our Rhythm" (on
Illin-N-Chillin) on the talents of Black disabled musicians in Hip-Hop, Gospel, Soul and
World Jazz, I discussed the discrimination and lack of recognition
of these musicians. Now I’ve realized that especially in Hip-Hop there
is this double talk when it comes to disability. Like Hollywood,
the Hip-Hop industry has this perfect picture image to displayed
to the world. Remember the days of white people in Black faces and
the other racist stereotypes of Black people in Hollywood? Well,
is Hip-Hop doing the same with the images of disability and the
discrimination against disabled artists in Hip-Hop?

Today there are many Hip-Hop one-person-plays that I
like which brings reality of Black youth and young adults living in
our society to the stage some are very harsh and some are funny
but all have an underline theme of race in our society. Many of these
one-person-plays have disabled characters in them from my girl,
Aya de Leon’s, "Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip-Hop"
that has a character who gets the ticks and stutters every time he tries
to be a hard-core gangster Hip-Hop artist. Aya’s character is o.k. if
he continues to rap his pg lyrics. Also you have Danny Hoch, who is
a White Hip-Hop actor/performer/writer. He wrote the book and now
film entitled, "Some People and Jails, Hospitals, and Hip-Hop" that has
many disabled characters from a rapper who stutters to a Puerto-Rican
wheelchair user who gets physically and verbally brutalize by New York police.
These are wonderful plays and brings up many real concerns facing youth of
color but is it time for the real disabled Hip-Hop artist\actor\actress to stand,
limp or wheel up to the mike? I’m ready to take one of my poems or stories
to the stage like "I’m The Black Cripple" or my famous skit, "Superman vs. Handyman!" Somebody show me the spotlight!

Many groups of people have express their views about
the lyrics in Hip-Hop from Eminem to Two-Live- Crew. Women, some Black organizations and leaders, gays and lesbians all had their say about insulting
lyrics that some Hip-Hop artists have spit on the mike and these groups have
also pleasured the industry for more diversity. Today we have seen the increase
of women Hip-Hop artists and we even have seen the beginning of gays and lesbians artists entering the gates of Hip-Hop to set the record straight on their issues.
For example in 2003, Phat Family Records, an organization of LGBT hip-hop artists
and fans, released Phat Family Volume 2: Down 4 the Swerve. We can’t forget, Deep Dickollective and Tim’m both have phat new smoking albums. However I always hear this common statement when I or other disabled Hip-Hop artists try to approach the gates of Hip-Hop, "the industry is not ready for a disabled or wheelchair Hip-Hop artists!" Fezo da Madone of Boston is working on his second Hip-Hop cd entitled, Here I AM Fezo, a Black disabled hot Hip-Hop artist has bumped up against the statement,
"the hip-hop industry is not ready for an artist in a wheelchair" over and over
again. This statement was and still is limiting gays and lesbians artists but as
we have seen gays and lesbians artists are not waiting for the gates of
Hip-Hop to open they are bulldozing through the gate.

The Hip-Hop industry is double talking like a politician on the
campaign road. Although Fezo da Madone, Paraplegic MC,
Rob Da Noize Temple, Michael Manning, Bird and many more disabled
artists including myself can’t get into the gates of Hip-Hop, well known
Hip-Hop artists and groups can use disability lingo in their songs. For
example the latest album by Black eyed Peas has a hit song, "Lets Get Retarded"
and many others have used and verbally abused us on their cds. After the hoopla
around this titled, Black Eyed Peas changed it to ‘Lets Get it Started’. If Hip-Hop
wants to be real why not promote one of the artists who really has a disability and are banging at the gates of Hip-Hop like the artists I mentioned above. In June of 2004 the Hip-Hop Summit was held in Newark, NJ. The New Jersey Minorities with Disabilities Coalition attended the summit and asked one of the organizers from California, where were their disabled brothers and sisters. The organizer felt bad because the summit lacked the voice of people with disabilities. No more double talk! No more excuses!

It is time for action! Look out for the latest works from Fezo da Madone,
Rob Da Noize Temple and Paraplegic MC and myself and our collaboration on
a cd in the near future. Or you can listen to Pushing Limits on KPFA 94.1 FM the first and third Sundays at 6:30 where we will showcase disabled musicians including hip-hop artists with disabilities or read Illin-n-Chillin at www.poormagazine.org or my website
www.leroymoore.com.. Hip-Hop industry you have been warned!