#100 East 17th Street

[rabbitcruiser]

Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, a New York City political organization was incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society.  

[perfectindiatrip02]

Local Taj Mahal Tour by Tuk Tuk (Auto Rikshaw)

OVERVIWE

The Taj Mahal, one of India's most famous tourist attractions, is located in Agra. While many tourists choose to see the city in private vehicles or buses, taking an autorickshaw, or Tuk Tuk, is an exciting, affordable, and distinctive way to move around Agra's busy streets. This book, which gives you a genuine taste of local travel, will teach you how to appreciate the Taj Mahal and other Agra sights by Tuk Tuk.

What is an autorickshaw, or tuk tuk? In India, a Tuk Tuk, sometimes known as an auto rickshaw, is a compact three-wheeled vehicle that is frequently used for short-distance transportation. The following factors contribute to the enormous popularity of these open-air vehicles:

Compact and nimble: Tuk Tuks can maneuver through congested areas and small streets with ease. Reasonably priced: Tuk Tuks are significantly less expensive than vehicles and taxis for transportation within the city. Fun and Local: Getting a close-up look at local life while riding a Tuk Tuk enhances the immersion of your tour. Why Take a Tour of the Taj Mahal in a Tuk Tuk? A Tuk Tuk is the ideal mode of transportation when touring Agra for a number of reasons:

Cost-effective: Compared to renting a car or a cab, Tuk Tuk journeys are significantly less expensive. For tourists on a tight budget who wish to see Agra without breaking the bank, this is fantastic. Flexible: Because Tuk Tuk drivers are familiar with the city, they can show you local landmarks and secret treasures that you might not otherwise discover. Additionally, they can wait for you while you explore, giving you more flexibility with your schedule. Eco-Friendly: In a city like Agra where pollution is an issue, tuk tuks are a more environmentally friendly option than cars. To lessen their influence on the environment, some Tuk Tuks are even electric. In Agra, How to Hire a Tuk Tuk It's simple to hire a Tuk Tuk in Agra, particularly if you're close to well-known tourist attractions like the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. Here's how to approach it:

Where to Find Tuk Tuks: A lot of Tuk Tuks are parked close to hotels, bus stops, and popular tourist destinations. The best places to find Tuk Tuks waiting to pick up passengers are the East and West entrances of the Taj Mahal. Advice for Price Bargaining: Even though Tuk Tuk trips are inexpensive, it's a good idea to haggle over the fee before you set off. The majority of drivers are amenable to haggling, particularly if you are hiring them for the entire day. A full-day tour can cost anywhere from INR 500 to 800, depending on the number of stops, whereas a short ride usually costs between INR 50 and 100. Day 1: Tuk Tuk Takes You on Your Taj Mahal Tour Starting early in the morning is ideal for a smooth journey, particularly if you wish to see the Taj Mahal at dawn. During the hottest months, this helps combat the heat in addition to avoiding the throng.

The best time to start your tour is at 6:00 AM, when you may see the Taj Mahal at sunrise. You still have enough of time to see the main attractions in Agra if you begin your tour at 8:00 AM, even if you're not an early riser. Reaching the Taj Mahal. Be ready for a quick stroll to the ticket booths and security gates after your Tuk Tuk lets you off close to the Taj Mahal's entrance.

Tuk Tuks will drop you off at specified parking spots; they are not permitted to access the Taj Mahal's grounds directly. From there, you can go to the main entrance by foot or by electric vehicle shuttle. Things to Keep in Mind: Due to the Taj Mahal's stringent security, do not bring heavy luggage, food, or equipment like tripods. Bring sunscreen, a hat, and water to keep comfortable while you're there. An Overview of the Taj Mahal's History One of the Seven Wonders of the World and a representation of love, the Taj Mahal was constructed in the 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan. It took more than 20 years to build the white marble tomb in honor of his adored wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

Important Architectural Features: Keep an eye out for the symmetrical gardens, the mirrored lake that leads up to the monument, and the elaborate marble inlay work. Examining the Taj Mahal Use these useful pointers to get the most out of your visit:

Top Locations for Photos: Stand in front of the main water fountain to get the famous picture of the Taj Mahal reflected in it. Take pictures of the Taj from the side gardens for a different perspective. Time Allotted: The average tourist explores the grounds, takes pictures, and absorbs the history for two to three hours. Exploring Additional Agra Attractions with Tuk Tuk After admiring the Taj Mahal, return to your Tuk Tuk and explore other neighboring sites.

Another must-see is Agra Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is only 2.5 km from the Taj Mahal. Exploring the fort's striking red sandstone architecture takes one to two hours. Mehtab Bagh: Ask your Tuk Tuk driver to take you to Mehtab Bagh for breathtaking sunset views of the Taj Mahal. On the other side of the Yamuna River, this garden provides a serene environment and a distinctive viewpoint of the monument. Dining in Agra: Local Flavors at Tuk Tuk Stops Being able to eat at neighborhood restaurants while going by Tuk Tuk is one of its best features.

Suggested Local Restaurants: "Joney’s Place" serves delectable vegetarian fare, and "Mama Chicken" is a well-liked destination for Mughlai cuisine. Try the well-known petha from "Panchi Petha" in Agra if you're craving something sweet. Must-Try Dishes: The delicious Mughlai cuisine of Agra is well-known. Don't forget to sample foods like biryani, butter chicken, and tandoori kebabs. Tuk Tuk shopping in Agra The bustling markets of Agra are well-known, and the best way to get from one to the next is in a Tuk Tuk.

Popular Markets: Sadar Bazaar and Kinari Bazaar are excellent places to purchase leather products, jewelry, and handicrafts. Beautiful marble inlay work resembling that of the Taj Mahal may also be found there. What to Buy: Purchase handcrafted fabrics, marble coasters, or miniature versions of the Taj Mahal as mementos. Eco-Friendly Transportation: Cars vs. Tuk Tuk In addition to being enjoyable and reasonably priced, tuk tuks are a more environmentally responsible mode of transportation in Agra. In an effort to cut pollution, many cities, including Agra, are switching to electric Tuk Tuks.

Why Opt for Tuk Tuk? Choosing a Tuk Tuk tour while touring the city lowers your carbon impact and helps local drivers. Tourist Safety Advice for Tuk Tuk Even though Tuk Tuks are usually safe, it's wise to follow these simple safety guidelines:

Agree on the Fare: To prevent misunderstandings later, always clarify the fare before beginning your ride. Preserve Your Property: Keep your valuables hidden during the voyage and hold on to your baggage tightly. Employ Trusted Drivers: To guarantee a fun and safe experience, a lot of hotels and travel companies may suggest trustworthy Tuk Tuk drivers. Taking the Tuk Tuk Back to Your Hotel It's simple to locate a Tuk Tuk to return to your accommodation at the conclusion of your tour. Tuk Tuks can be found close to the exit of most tourist destinations.

Best Time to Return: To avoid traffic delays, try to conclude your tour by 4:00 or 5:00 PM. Agra's streets can grow packed in the late afternoon. In conclusion A unique, genuine, and enjoyable way to see the Taj Mahal and other historical landmarks in Agra is to explore the city in a Tuk Tuk. A Tuk Tuk tour is ideal for tourists wishing to experience a genuine flavor of local living because of its cost-effectiveness, adaptability, and environmental friendliness.

FAQs What is the price of a Tuk Tuk ride in Agra? Depending on the number of stops, Tuk Tuk rides in Agra typically cost between INR 50 and 100 for short trips and INR 500 to 800 for a full day tour.

Is it possible to rent a Tuk Tuk for the full day? Indeed, a lot of Tuk Tuk drivers provide full-day services, which let you see a variety of sights at your own speed.

Are families safe around Tuk Tuks? Families are normally secure when riding in a tuk tuk, but it's crucial to pick a reliable driver and watch after your possessions.

What should I bring for a Tuk Tuk trip? Keep some cash on hand for minor expenses, along with water, sunscreen, and a hat. Having a map or GPS nearby is also a smart idea.

How far is it via Tuk Tuk from Agra Fort to the Taj Mahal? Agra Fort is around 2.5 miles from the Taj Mahal, and the Tuk Tuk journey takes ten to fifteen minutes.

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Thursday, 17th August

Welcome, Selam, 你好, أهلا وسهلا 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 17th August through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

17th August 2019 🗓️ : Event - 17 August 2019 Kabul bombing A bomb explodes at a wedding in Kabul killing 63 people and leaving 182 injured. "On 17 August 2019, a suicide bombing took place during a wedding in a wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 92 people were killed in the attack and over 140 injured. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that the attack targeted the Shi'ites...."

17th August 2017 🗓️ : Event - 2017 Barcelona attacks Barcelona attacks: A van is driven into pedestrians in La Rambla, killing 14 and injuring at least 100. "On the afternoon of 17 August 2017, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drove a van into pedestrians on La Rambla street in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 others, one of whom died 10 days later on 27 August. Abouyaaqoub fled the attack on foot, then killed another..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0? by JT Curses

17th August 2013 🗓️ : Death - Gus Winckel Gus Winckel, Dutch lieutenant and pilot (b. 1912) "Willem Frederick August "Gus" Winckel (3 November 1912 – 17 August 2013) was a Dutch military officer and pilot who flew for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force (ML-KNIL) in World War II. During the attack on Broome, Western Australia, on 3 March 1942, Winckel managed to land his plane full..."

Image licensed under CC0? by Davison Studio

17th August 1973 🗓️ : Death - Jean Barraqué Jean Barraqué, French pianist and composer (b. 1928) "Jean-Henri-Alphonse Barraqué (17 January 1928 – 17 August 1973) was a French composer and writer on music who developed an individual form of serialism which is displayed in a small output...."

17th August 1923 🗓️ : Birth - Carlos Cruz-Diez Carlos Cruz-Diez, Venezuelan artist (d. 2019) "Carlos Cruz-Diez (17 August 1923 – 27 July 2019) was a Venezuelan artist said by some scholars to have been "one of the greatest artistic innovators of the 20th century."..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Ateliercruzdiez

17th August 1814 🗓️ : Death - John Johnson (architect, born 1732) John Johnson, English architect and surveyor (b. 1732) "John Johnson (22 April 1732 – 17 August 1814) was an English architect and surveyor to the county of Essex. He is best known for designing the Shire Hall, Chelmsford...."

Image by John Russell

17th August 🗓️ : Holiday - San Martin Day (Argentina) "The following are the national public holidays and other observances of Argentina. Though holidays of many faiths are respected, public holidays usually include most Catholic based holidays. Historic holidays include the celebration of the May Revolution (25 May), Independence Day (9 July), National..."

Image by Juan Martín de Pueyrredón (1777-1850), according to Ministerio del Interior website

[yotentsblog]

Do you know that what is the valuable places in Delhi on a low budget?

DELHI

Delhi, the vibrant capital city of India, is a hub of history, culture, and diversity. From its iconic monuments to its bustling street markets, there is something for everyone in this fascinating city. If you are on a tight budget but still want to experience all that Delhi has to offer, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of budget-friendly options available. Here are some of the top places to visit in Delhi that won’t break the bank.

Red Fort

The Red Fort is a 17th-century fort located in Old Delhi and is considered a symbol of India’s independence. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city and is a great place to learn about India’s history and culture. The best part is, you can enter the Red Fort for free on Independence Day (August 15th) and Republic Day (January 26th).

India Gate

India Gate is a war memorial located in the heart of the city and is a popular spot for picnics and relaxation. With its beautiful gardens and stunning architecture, it’s easy to see why India Gate is one of the must-visit tourist places in Delhi.

Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple is a unique temple shaped like a lotus flower, located in South Delhi. This breathtaking architectural marvel is a popular tourist destination and is known for its peaceful ambiance. The Lotus Temple is a must-visit for those who appreciate beauty and spirituality.

Akshardham Temple

The Akshardham Temple is a magnificent architectural marvel that showcases the rich cultural heritage of India. It is one of the largest Hindu temples in the world and is dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan, a 19th-century saint and leader of the Swaminarayan sect. The temple is located on the banks of the Yamuna river in East Delhi and covers an area of over 100 acres.

Masjid

Jama Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India and is a popular tourist destination in Delhi. With its stunning Mughal architecture and rich history, Jama Masjid is a great place to learn about Islamic culture and religion.

Qutub Minar

The Qutub Minar is a 73-meter tall tower located in South Delhi and is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a popular tourist spot and is known for its architectural beauty.

Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s Tomb is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in South Delhi and is the final resting place of the Mughal emperor Humayun. The tomb is a beautiful example of Mughal architecture and is a must-visit for those who appreciate history and art.

Conclusion

Delhi is a city full of wonder and beauty, and there are plenty of budget-friendly options for travelers who want to experience all that the city has to offer. Whether you’re interested in history, culture, spirituality, or architecture, Delhi has something for everyone, so be sure to add these top tourist places to your itinerary.

If you are interested visit

Home Hand-picked selection of quality places

https://yotents.com/

[dee6000]

LoSlavery Is Not OUR "Original Sin" The thick lines show majority of African slaves went to Spain’s (they started trans-Atlantic slave trade) Latin American & Caribbean slave colonies, Muslim and African Countries. Few went to colony that became the US

How many times have you heard that slavery was “America’s original sin”? I’m not quite sure what that means, but I think the idea is that slavery was a uniquely horrible thing that defines the United States and will stain whites forever. It’s one of the few things Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Barack Obama agree on. There are books about it. Here’s a college course at UC Davis called “Slavery: America’s Original Sin: Part 1."

The fact is, there has been slavery in every period of history, and just about everywhere. The Greeks and Romans had it, the ancient Egyptians had it, it’s all over the Bible, the Chinese and the pre-Columbian Indians had it, the Maoris in New Zealand had it, and the Muslims had it in spades. But I have never, ever heard of slavery being anyone else’s “original sin.”

About the only societies that never had slaves were primitivehunter-gatherers. As soon as people have some kind of formal social organization, they start taking slaves.

You’ve heard about slavery and mass human sacrifices of Central and South American Indians, but North American Indians were enslaving each other long before the white man showed up.

Tlingit and Haida Indians, who lived in the Pacific Northwest, went raiding for slaves as far South as California. About one quarter of the population were slaves, and the children of slaves were slaves. During potlatches, or huge ceremonial feasts, the Tlingit would sometimes burn property and kill slaves, just to show how rich they were. What’s a couple of slaves to a guy who lives in a house like this?

When we bought Alaska from the Russians in 1867, Indians were furious when we told them they had to give up their slaves. The Tlingit carved this image of Abraham Lincoln, the emancipator, to try to shame the government into compensating them for slaves.

What were called the Five Civilized Tribes of the American Southeast happily bought black slaves. In 1860, there were 21,000 Cherokee, and they owned 4,000 slaves. And that was just the Cherokee. Many took their slaves with them when they were forced to move West.

Free blacks in the South owned slaves. The fact of having been slaves didn’t stop them from wanting to be slave masters themselves. In 1840, in South Carolina alone, there were 454 free blacks who owned a total of 2,357 slaves. Only about 20 percent of Southern households had even one slave, but 75 percent of the free-black households in South Carolina owned slaves.

Don’t believe me? It’s all in this book by the expert on the subject, Larry Koger of the University of South Carolina. And he demolishes the idea that most blacks bought slaves only to get family members out of slavery. Like whites, some were kind masters and some were mean, but, for the most part, they owned slaves for exactly the same reasons whites did.

There’s a whole book about this black guy, Andrew Durnford.

He had a plantation of 672 acres along the Mississippi in Louisiana, and close to 100 slaves. Another black slave owner in Louisiana, P.C. Richards, owned 152 slaves. Black slaveowners avidly supported the Confederacy. There are no accurate estimates of the number of slaves held by free blacks at the time of the Civil War, but they would have been tens of thousands.

If slavery is somebody’s Original Sin, it’s sure not ours. Take a look at this map of the slave trade, beginning in 1500.

[Source: SlaveVoyages.com, click to enlarge]

The thicknesses of the lines represent numbers of slaves. What became the United States imported just around 400,000 slaves—about 3 percent of all the slaves who crossed the Atlantic. Look at all the slaves who went to Brazil and to the Caribbean Islands.They needed millions because, unlike American slaveowners who raised slave families, they bought grown men and worked them to death. And let us not forget, virtually every slave on this map was caught by blacks or Arabs.

And look at all the slaves who ended up in North Africa and the Middle East.

That’s millions of them going to Muslim countries at exactly the same time slaves were crossing the Atlantic. And Arabs had been taking black slaves out of Africa, across the Sahara, for 900 years before America was even discovered—and a forced march across the desert was a lot worse than crossing the Atlantic. In this article about Africa’s first slavers—the Arabs—historian Paul Lovejoy estimates that over the centuries, Muslims took about 14 million blacks out of Africa [Recalling Africa’s harrowing tale of its first slavers – The Arabs – as UK Slave Trade Abolition is commemorated, March 27, 2018]. That is more than the 12 million who went to the New World.

And you might ask, where are the descendants of all those Middle Eastern slaves? America has millions of slave descendants. Why don’t you see lots of blacks in Saudi Arabia or Syria or Iraq? Arabs castrated black slaves so they wouldn’t have descendants.

Muslims were even more enthusiastic about enslaving white people. Christian Slaves, Muslim Masters, by Prof. Robert C. Davis is the best book on the subject. Remember the Barbary Pirates of North Africa? Between 1530 and 1780 they caught and enslaved more than a million white, European Christians. During the 16th and 17th centuries, Arabs took more white slaves south across the Mediterranean than there were blacks shipped across the Atlantic.

Mostly, Muslim pirates captured European ships and stole their crews. In just three years, from 1606 to 1609, the British navy admitted it had lost 466 British merchant ships to North African pirates [Counting European Slaves on the Barbary Coast Past & Present, August 2001]. Four hundred sixty-six ships in just three years. Arabs took American slaves. Between 1785 and 1793 Algerians captured 13 American ships in the Mediterranean and enslaved the crews. This is a 1804 battle between Arab pirates and the USS Enterprise.

It was only in 1815, after two wars, that the United States was finally free of the Barbary pirates.

Muslim pirates also organized huge, amphibious slave-catching assaults that practically depopulated the Italian coast. In 1544, Algerian raiders took 7,000 slaves in the Bay of Naples in a single raid. This drove the price of slaves so low it was said you could “swap a Christian for an onion.”

After a 1566 raid on Granada in Spain netted 4,000 men women, and children, it was said to be “raining Christians in Algiers.” Women were easier to catch than men, and were prized as sex slaves, so some coastal areas lost their entire child-bearing populations. One raid as far away as Iceland brought back 400 white slaves.

Prof. Davis notes that the trade in black Africans was strictly business, but Muslims had a jihad-like enthusiasm for stealing Christians. It was revenge for the Crusades and for the reconquest of Spain from the Arabs in 1492. When Muslim corsairs raided Europe, they made a point of desecrating churches and stealing church bells. The metal was valuable but stealing church bells silenced the voice of Christianity.

It was a tradition to parade newly captured Europeans through the streets so people could jeer at them, while children threw garbage at them. At the slave market, both men and women were stripped naked to evaluate their sexual value. In the North African capitals—Tunis, Algiers, Tripoli—there was a big demand for homosexual sex-slaves. Other Europeans were worked to death on farms or building projects.

Prof. Davis writes that unlike in North America, there were no limits on cruelty: “There was no countervailing force to protect the slave from his master’s violence: no local anti-cruelty laws, no benign public opinion, and rarely any effective pressure from foreign states.” Slaves were not just property, they were infidels, and deserved whatever suffering a master meted out.

For a man, there was a fate even worse than being a sex slave. Hundreds of thousands became galley slaves, often on slave-catching pirate ships. They were chained to their oars 24 hours a day, and could move only to the hole where the oar went through the hull—so they could relieve themselves. If the men were rowing, they fouled themselves. Galley slaves lived in a horrible stench, ate rotten food, were whipped by slave drivers and tormented by rats and lice. They could not lie down and had to sleep at their oars. Many never left their ships, even in port. Their job was to row until they died, and to be tossed overboard at the first sign of weakness.

Muslims have taken slaves for as long as there have been Muslims, which is about 1,400 years.

Mohammed himself was an enthusiastic slave trader. Muslims still take black slaves. As this article points out, Libya still has slave markets, Mauritanian Arabs take black slaves, and there is still slavery in Niger, Mali, Chad and Sudan[Libya’s slave markets are a reminder that the exploitation of Africans never went away, by Martin Plaut, New Statesman, February 21, 2018].

And, of course, it was white people who abolished slavery, both in their own countries and, except for a few stubborn holdouts, the whole world. Africans, just like the Tlingit Indians, screamed about all the wealth we made them give up.

But slavery’s still our “original sin.” As Time magazine wrote just this month about slavery “Europeans and their colonial “descendants” in the United States engineered the most complete and enduring dehumanization of a people in history."[Facing America's History of Racism Requires Facing the Origins of 'Race' as a Concept, by Andrew Curran, July 10, 2020]

What a small minority of Americans did for 246 years—and in a relatively mild form—is worse than anything that was ever done anywhere by anyone.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the power of white privilege. I hope you are enjoying it. Watch this video:

[jafreitag]

Grateful Dead Monthly: Gaelic Park – New York, NY 8/26/71

Fifty years ago today, on Thursday, August 26, 1971, the Grateful Dead played a concert at Gaelic Park in New York City.

Gaelic Park is located at West 240th Street and Broadway, five miles north and east of Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx. In 1926, the Gaelic Athletic Association purchased it to host the Gaelic Games. What are Gaelic Games? I’m a sliver Irish (just learned that a few years ago from a cousin who did some DNA stuff), but I didn’t know about such games until I asked the Google machine. Here you go, from the Wiki:

“Gaelic games (Irish: Cluichí Gaelacha) are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Women’s versions of hurling and football are also played: camogie, organised by the Camogie Association of Ireland, and ladies’ Gaelic football, organised by the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association. While women’s versions are not organised by the GAA (with the exception of handball, where men’s and women’s handball competitions are both organised by the GAA Handball organisation), they are closely associated with it.”

Some to unpack there. What’s Gaelic football? It’s basically rugby. (The rules are probably way different, but this is a music blog, so don’t judge.) And hurling? Rugby with a small ball and sticks that look like sporty pizza paddles. (Again, don’t judge.) Gaelic handball? Racquetball, except you use your hands and you’re outside, not in some bougie health club from the ’80s. Finally, rounders? It’s actually alot like baseball. Pretty cool.

Why were the Dead there? A 9/2/71 piece in the Village Voice by Carman Moore, now archived on the Grateful Dead Sources blog, said that Gotham promoter Howard Stein, a Bill Graham competitor who booked the Dead to play at the Cap Theater in Port Chester, NY and the Academy of Music in NYC, had turned “the drab little Riverdale soccer field … into a summer rock mini-festival.” (Check out the poster above.) Moore’s writing has an early-70s sizzle, and he refers to his colleague, now-legendary rock scribe Robert Christgau. Here’s an excerpt:

“Last week’s Grateful Dead concert up at Gaelic Park was a usual Dead session, meaning that the band-to-fan-to-band electro-chemical process for which rock music is famed was on like high mass at Easter. Although I think I know most of the time what they are doing musically (Christgau will like this notion); I don’t quite understand them electro-chemically. Like the New York Knicks of two seasons ago, they can do excellent things together though they are not a group of deathless superstars. Garcia gets his songs across, but he can’t sing, and Bob Weir’s voice rises to about average…maybe better when he gets to screaming and the music sweeps him along. I still find it difficult to recognize the Dead songs that aren’t “Truckin'” or “St. Stephen” one from the other. I am not one of their fans, but seem to be one of their admirers. Their music speaks in a special language to their live listeners, and that language has the vocabulary of everybody else, but a convoluted syntax all its own. The note sequences are not completely dependent upon musical factors but are also dictated by how involved the band feels and also upon what kind of heat the audience is giving off. I’m trying to get to some essences of this thing.

The drama of a Dead concert revolves around the fact that wherever the band plays they know that a certain number (several tons) of their partisans will be there and that their crowd knows the Dead potential to excite them, but they also know that the Dead may not get into gear until the crowd begins to apply some heat, and so forth. Both parties also know that the concert will be long enough and informal enough for anything to happen on either side of the footlights, and so audiences improvise (smoke, go to the hot dog stand, kiss and snuggle, cheer, dance, listen like star-struck fools) just like their musician friends on stage (who play light and funny for awhile, retire backstage awhile, stand around, or get lost in a piece and turn on the heavy jets). Like good lovers, the Grateful Dead know the secrets of good foreplay, taking your time, surprising the partner for awhile, and then just reacting for a spell.”

The timing of the show seems odd. The band was on the East Coast in July, but began August back in Cali – LA, SD, Berkeley – before a three-night run at Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theater. Then they trekked back to NYC. Our resident Deaditor ECM explains that aspect: “This show was supposed to be played the day before the Yale Bowl concert on July 30, but some issues with the equipment trucks and/or weather prevented it from happening from the scheduled date. There are a few stories on the web about people who didn’t get the message (no twitter back then!) and dropped some acid only to show up to an empty stadium. Haha!”

Moore said that the show reminded him of “a high school stadium I used to know – low stands, unfulfilled infield grass, mud holes here and there, beer sold at one end in some quantity.” He continued:

“The formal shape of the concert was a general crescendo, light at the beginning and heavy-groovy at the end – not a shooting-star, call-the-law finale, just a heightened physical-emotional climate…the goods delivered as promised…sort of like good preaching in a church known to be a happy place. I did not enjoy their country-westernish opening tunes; maybe they didn’t either, because the pieces were awfully short. But by the three-quarter mark they had involved themselves, the crowd, and me too.

First they got the rhythm engaged and finally, courtesy of Jerry Garcia’s lead and interplays with Lesh and Weir, they went into the soloing and jamming which are the real magic music territory of this band. Much is made of the Dead soloists, but it became clear to me by last Thursday that bassist Phil Lesh plus those two drummers create the atmosphere that makes the Dead thing possible. The drummers were exceptionally understated, but Lesh kept bopping and thrumming away, heavily at all times, until his patterns were consistently getting the other players off. In the middle of “St. Stephen” there was a special coming together: Lesh had found a nice ambiguous but compelling set of licks; Garcia eased into a solo; Weir strummed a cross-time lick over all of it; it built; it quieted; Garcia started to play strange classical kind of lines; the drums dropped out; the audience got quiet; nothing at all could be predicted for a minute or so; then Lesh began to grope his way out with two chords and rhythms which began to regularize; audience began to jump and then to clap; guitars began to straighten out; the band came home to the cheers of the fans. Good music-making. The listener goes home without a little tune to whistle, but he hears music. As if they were finishing off some personal solos based over the last riffs heard, the fans went out of Gaelic Park without a thousand encores and without a lot of fuss on the streets outside.

It’s all very interesting, surprising, and I guess mystifying as before. All I know is that the Dead, or their fans, or the combination of both lure you into planning to return when they’re all assembled and back in town again.”

Apparently, there was some grief about bootlegs at this show. The GD Sources blog has a post that archives a 10/6/71 piece by the excellently-handled Basho Katzenjammer (Basho, the 17th Century Japanese haiku master; Katzenjammer, the German word for hangover) that gripes about an army of 200# “muscle freaks” at the direction of tour manager Sam Cutler liberating a handful of tapes from 100# weakling Johnny Lee. It’s a truly fun read. An excerpt:

“The biggest piece of shit spewing from Cutler’s mouth is about the reasons the Dead have for being so pissed off: they don’t like the quality (remember Garcia’s line in “I Got No Chance of Losin”? He says, “I’m only in it for the gold.” Yeah, music has a way of being more honest than the artist intends it to be at times…) The “quality”? Anyone who has bought a bootleg recently will know and agree that the bootleg stereo album called “Grateful Dead” is one of the best underground products yet. The tape was taken from a concert the group did at Winterland, on the coast a few months back. Yeah, Garcia fucks up a bit on “Casey Jones,” and Pigpen’s ego may have been deflated a bit by his voice coming over poorly on “Good Loving” but that was a concert. You do a concert and you stand by your performance, good or bad. That’s show business.

This effete artistic bullshit doesn’t matter anyway … When you’re out to get all the money you can out of your gigs, like the Dead seem to be (like all the groups seem to be) you might be accused of being a bit piggish; when you use strong-arm shit to insure that you get every last penny that you deserve — by making Amerikan standards — you are a Pig. Jerry Garcia, is that you?

Nobody buys that anti-bootleg shit about the artistic integrity of the artist in saying what goes out. One, you stand by your performance; two, even if you don’t want to, Jerry, somewhat, and say “all your private property is fair game for your brothers (especially when they sell records of concerts that don’t compete with coming releases) and your brother (who’s gonna continue to dig you as we live off your comets we’re gonna keep ripping you off because it is possible. As simple as that.” If you and Cutler and Stein continue your shit, though, we’ll just have to sing the song the same old way, you guys being put in the position of being the same old reactionary establishment that we’re all ripping off. It’s all around. You break your back playing gigs for ten years and suddenly success is staring you in the face. Bread: lots and lots of bread. You turn your back on your poor, ripping ’em off roots and start to tighten up. You’re in the biggest rip-off industry around, but no one cares as long as they’re having fun.

Money. That’s the whole story, isn’t it? If these were other times, in another land under a different set of rules maybe you could justifiably complain about the people who want to give your recorded performances out free because you didn’t screen them and pick out the sections you didn’t like and do them over for the cat, ’cause no one charges for their music, and because the means of production belong to the people, and they can turn out all the good sounds they can, and you have a natural right to screen all releases. But we’re here. Now. You guys are making millions — or soon will be. Money is power, especially as the concept of money is crumbling nation-wide and power freaks like Stein are cornering the market on it. The channels that the green-power the Dead bring in travel aren’t the healthiest for the generations of revolution to come. Stein is one of these hopeful images of a freak with a chance to change things positively gone sour, who uses all his power to consolidate his power; who’ll go to any extremes to insure the natural expansion of that power. Fuck him. Fuck you.”

Speak, Basho! Quaint that the beef about bootlegs back then was sound quality, rather than copyright. Stuff got figured out at some point, I think. Like when Bobby shut down the LMA, lmao.

Ed featured part of this show in the 2016 edition of his epcot 31 Days of Dead project. Here are his listening notes, which are typically spot-on (and better than than the not-quite-on-the-bus commentary from Mr. Moore): 

“Less than three weeks after Pigpen’s definitive performance of Hard To Handle at the Hollywood Palladium (8/6/71), the Grateful Dead play the final date of their summer tour in 1971 at Gaelic Park in the Bronx. It will be Pig’s last show until December and the last time the band will ever perform in their original quintet configuration of Jerry, Phil, Pig, Billy and Bobby. By September, Keith will be rehearsing with the band to assume a full-time role on the keys. Perhaps anticipating his absence, Pigpen leads the band through 6 of his songs including the rarely-played Empty Pages and the last Hard To Handle. It is also one of the last performances of Saint Stephen, until the band revived it in 1976 with a major facelift, never to be played the same way again. When you consider these historical milestones along with the departure of Mickey Hart and the closings of the legendary Fillmore East and West earlier in the year it makes you realize that this concert carried a little more weight than anyone could have ever foreseen at the time. It truly was the end of a chapter in the life of the Grateful Dead. As you listen to each song you can’t help but feel a certain degree of nostalgia.

For me, the hidden gem of the show is the outstanding version of Uncle Johns Band. Jerry’s first guitar solo is an absolute joy to hear. His notes sing with irresistible melody and happy sunshine which perfectly capture the nostalgia of those carefree early years. If you listen closely you can hear Pigpen playing the wood claves.”

Speaking of Pig, this show features the second and final performance of Empty Pages. The NYS Music blog, which has a nice write-up of this show, describes it as a McKernan original that “pairs his traditional crooning style with a slow blues jam that’s nicely peppered with fiery guitar licks from Garcia. It’s a true rarity and a shame that the band wouldn’t be able to further develop this one.”

I feel like this was a try-hard post. It might be tl;dr, idk. Here’s the true goodness…

Transport to the Charlie Miller remaster of the soundboard recording HERE.

More soon.

JF

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[classicmollywood]

A Brief Biography on Montgomery Clift

Montgomery Clift’s 100th birth anniversary is October 17th,2020. There are probably a great deal of bios on Monty, but I felt like it was only fair to start my celebration of him with a brief biography. I plan to talk about his individual films in later posts which is why his filmography isn’t super descriptive, but don’t worry, I will get to these later on. I believe knowing the Clift off-screen will help us understand his art better... or maybe that’s just me. Either way, stick with me and you will learn all you need to know about the one and only Montgomery Clift. 

Photo via Top Hollywood Actresses and Actors

Edward Montgomery Clift was born on October 17th, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents were William Brooks Clift, a Wall Street Stockbroker, and Ethel Anderson Clift aka Sunny, who was a stay at home mom. He had an older brother named Brooks, and a twin sister named Roberta aka Ethel. The three of them would have an upbringing that is best described as unique, due to the fact that their mother would take them and their private tutors on travels across the world. It is safe to say that in Clift’s earlier years, his family was well off. The children got to go places and enjoy experiences that some people can only dream about.

Monty and his twin sister, Roberta aka Ethel, via The Hollywood Scrapbook

However, after the stock market crash, the Clift family lifestyle changed. The nomadic life of the Clifts was abruptly put to a halt. They had less money and had to root themselves in one place. During this unfortunate rooting, after living what some might call a normal life, Monty caught the acting bug at age 13. He joined a local youth theatrical club, which helped Sunny realize her son had natural talent thus resulting in her encouragement for him to pursue an acting career. His professional theatrical debut was in 1935, in the play Fly Away Home. He was only 14. Monty got to hone his craft with help from some of the best on Broadway, working with famous names such as Fredric March, Tallulah Bankhead, Lynn Fontanne, Alla Nazimova and Alfred Lunt. He credits them, and not the Actor’s Studio, for helping him become a great actor. Their guidance and his training paid off - he had his first leading role on stage at the age of 17. 

Monty with Alla Nazimova in a still for the Broadway Play “The Mother” circa 1939 via Martin Turnball

 By the time he was 18, Hollywood started calling, but he wasn’t interested. In 1938, he was offered the lead role in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - but turned it down. This would not be the only role he would turn down though. Monty seemed to have a set of standards that if complied with, would bring him to Hollywood. If his checklist demands weren’t met - he wasn’t interested because he wanted to be free. 

Monty with Tallulah Bankhead and cast for a Playbill for the Plymouth Theatre via Amazon

The main reason Clift turned down roles for movies is because he didn’t want to sign a contract, which would cause him to be loyal to one studio. He wanted to take roles that he thought were the best and even went as far as turning down 14 films in one year. Some of his most famous declines are Mrs. Miniver, East of Eden, and On the Waterfront. Monty turned down these roles because they just didn’t feel right for his Hollywood debut. However, there is one film he turned down that probably wasn’t 100 percent his idea. Clift was in a relationship with Libby Holman, who was a much older actress, when the script for Sunset Boulevard came his way. It has been said that the storyline, of an aging actress having an affair with a younger man, was a bit too close for comfort for Holman, and that’s why he turned down the role. Who knows if that is true, but that decision helped William Holden finally become the star he felt destined to be, all thanks to Monty. 

Clift with Libby Holman via Pinterest

Once Clift finally got a studio to agree with his terms of script and director approval, the ability to work at rival studios, and the ability to be a creative collaborator, he went to Hollywood, at the age of 28. His first film was 1948’s Red River, even though The Search was released first. 

Clift with child actor Ivan Jandl via Worthpoint

When Monty started making films, his acting style, along with James Dean and Marlon Brando, helped recreate the leading man. The new leading man wasn’t afraid to mumble, show a range of emotions, and have a focus on their beauty. The world was ready for Clift and his new leading man, and after Red River and The Search, most of his films were hits. He got four Oscar nominations for acting but unfortunately never won a statue. 

The tabloids were obsessed with him. He lived modestly in New York and rarely talked about his personal life. Monty was some sort of enigma that kept the press wanting more - especially when it came to his love life. They wanted to know who Monty was dating but he would never share those details. 

A magazine clipping about Clift via Making Montgomery Clift’s Twitter

Before we dive into the subject of his sexuality, I want you to watch a clip from a rare interview from the early 60s with Hy Gardner. Gardner asks Monty about his link to some of his female co stars, and I think it is interesting to hear him talk about this. (Clip section with question about co-stars starts at about 5:12)

Monty doesn’t say his sexual preferences in this clip. He seems to be going every way he can around the question without giving an explicit answer .But keep in mind, this is probably more about his privacy than being worried people will find out his true sexuality. How do I know this?

Because after watching the documentary film, Making Montgomery Clift, I learned how his sexuality and personal life was twisted and contorted into a Hollywood melodrama and of course, this was done after he wasn’t here to defend himself. It was just so easy to make him a tortured gay man because wasn’t that what every closeted gay man in the mid twentieth century was supposed to be? 

But that wasn’t Monty. His brother, Brooks Clift, is quoted saying that Clift’s sexuality “never seemed to bother him at all”. Clift’s companion Lorenzo James, said that he “wasn’t closeted at all and he wasn’t affected by his sexuality.” Clift had issues in his life, but his sexuality wasn’t one of them. He was a private guy who didn’t like giving interviews, so the press had a field day when they found out something he hid from the public, but not necessarily everyone in his life. Thus began the tragic gay man myth surrounding Monty.

The assumption that he was a tragic gay man may stem from the fact that he was moody and had drug and alcohol abuse. Yet, the Hollywood gossip columns and his own biographers portrayed his sexuality as something destructive in his life as opposed to being a part of him. 

Monty did have substance abuse issues, and it was assumed that this all started after his 1956 car accident, which he was constantly in pain from for the rest of his life. However, Clift’s brother blames the film Freud and the lawsuit between Clift, John Huston, and the producers as the reason Monty went into a downward spiral. Brooks explains that after this lawsuit, Monty couldn’t work and that depressed him, thus causing his substance dependency. 

Montgomery Clift died of a heart attack on July 23, 1966 at the age of 45. There are rumors that Clift was murdered, but the fact is, his heart just gave out

[cardest]

New York playlist

New York! New York! So good you gotta say it twice! What it also so good is this epic New York playlist I put together. Took me a while. I had many bands, musicians, artists to research before deciding on songs. Not to mention the endless list of talent that hail from that part of the world. Harlem, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx just to mention some of the surrounding areas with their own unique musical history. This list took some time.

Well, next time you’re in New York City,go to this NY playlist and feel the city vibes like never before. Enjoy!

001 Sesame Street '12' And Pinball Animation song 002 Handsome - Ride Down 003 Blondie - Dreaming 004 Sonic Youth - Kool Thing 005 Luscious Jackson - Citysong 006 Joan Armatrading - Heading Back to New York City 007 Lou Reed - Hold On 008 Helmet - Rollo 009 Late Show with Colbert and the Humanism theme song 010 Heavy D & The Boyz - Now That We Found Love ft. Aaron Hall 011 James Brown in Black Caesar - Down and Out in New York City 012 Guerilla Toss - Future Doesn't Know 013 Sonny Rollins - Harlem Boys 014 Biohazard - Tales From The Hardside 015 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message 016 PRONG - _Turnover 017 Billy Idol - Hot In The City 018 INXS - Different World 019 Ramones - I Just Wanna Have Something to Do 020 Chandra - Subways 021 Cro-Mags -  Days Of Confusion 022 B Boys - Energy 023 Diff'rent Strokes - theme song 024 David Bowie - New York's in Love 025 Living Colour - Type 026 Swans - Sex, God, Sex 027 Leroy Hutson - cool out 028 Chick Corea - central park 029 S.O.D. - Pi Alpha Nu 030 Alan Vega - Saturn Drive 031 Jaume Branch - Theme 002 032 Michael Jackson - Billie Jean 033 PJ Harvey - Good Fortune 034 Bobby Caldwell - What You Wont Do for Love 035 Saun & Starr  - Sunshine (Youre Blowin My Cool) 036 DOPE movie OST - Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) 037 Type O Negative - Wolf Moon (Including Zoanthropic Paranoia) 038 Harlem River Drive - Harlem River Drive (Theme Song) 039 Simple Minds - Up On The Catwalk 040 C.H.U.D. OST - C.H.U.D. main theme 041 Public Enemy - Harder Than You Think 042 Peter Criss - Blue Moon Over Brooklyn 043 The Beach Boys - The Girl From New York City 044 Bob Marley - Reggae On Broadway 045 Black Anvil - My Hate Is Pure 046 Motorhead - Ramones 047 Echo and the bunnymen _ empire state halo 048 Cerebral Ballzy - Downtown 049 Harlem- Suicide 050 Cyndi Lauper -  Girls Just Want To Have Fun 051 Marvels Daredevil - Opening Titles theme song 052 Fleetwood Mac - The City 053 3rd Bass - Brooklyn-Queens 054 Anthrax - Only 055 RAMONES - Cabbies On Crack 056 Unsane - Rat 057 Daryl Hall - NYCNY 058 Love Bug Star Ski & The Harlem World Crew - Positive Life 059 Pist.On - Grey Flap 060 The Sex Pistols-New York 061 Talking Heads - Wild Wild Life 062 Los Straitjackets - Brooklyn Slide 063 De La Soul - A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays 064 THE DRAMATICS - Blame it on New York City 065 Aerosmith - Rats in the Cellar 066 GG Allin - NYC tonight 067 The Brooklyn Bronx & Queens Band - On The Beat 068 Le Butcherettes -  New York 069 New York Dolls - Subway Train 070 Laurie Anderson - The day the devil 071 Marvels Jessica Jones - Opening theme song 072 Skull Snaps - My Hang up Is You 073 Janet Jackson - What Have You Done For Me Lately? 074 Blondie - In the Flesh 075 Agnostic Front -  City Streets 076 Curtis Mayfield - Pusherman 077 Charles Bradley -  Aint It A Sin 078 Liquid Liquid - Cavern 079 Bill Withers - Harlem 080 Cherry Vanilla - The Punk 081 Ace Frehley  - New York Groove 082 Rolling Stones - Harlem Shuffle 083 Seinfeld Theme song 084  Beastie Boys - Stop that train 085 Boney M -New York City 086 Biohazard - Five Blocks To The Subway 087 MOD - Rally (NYC) 088 Herb Alpert - Manhattan Melody 089 Nazareth - new york broken toy 090 Fishbone - Sunless Saturday 091 Mortician - Necrocannibal 092 Fantomas -  The Godfather 093 Joe Jackson - Steppin Out 094 Sick Of It All - Insurrection 095 Paul Simon - Boy in the Bubble 096 The Shangri Las - Leader Of The Pack 097 Tombs - V 098 NINA HAGEN - New York, New York 099 The Cure - NY Trip 100 Cameo - Word Up 101 Rollins Band - Disconnect 102 Luke Cage: OST - Theme song 103 GEORGE BENSON - On Broadway 104 Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim 105 Law & Order SVU  Intro Theme song 106 Le Tigre - My My Metrocard 107 Leonard cohen_First we take Manhattan 108 Prong - Snap your fingers,snap your bra strap 109 Velvet Underground - Rock & Roll from Loaded 110 Tito Puente - 110th St And 5th Avenue 111 NICOLE feat Timmy Thomas - NEW YORK EYES. 112 Kid Creole & The Coconuts - Broadway rhythm 113 White Zombie -  Super-charger heaven 114 Plasmatics -  Monkey Suit 115 Cats on Broadway - The Overture 116 Roy Ayers - We Live In Brooklyn, Baby 117 The Vibrations - Ain't No Greens In Harlem 118 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Coney Island Whitefish 119 Mel Torme - Broadway 120 Helmet - Biscuits For Smut 121 Swans -  Better Than You 122 Madball - Pride (Times Are Changing) 123 The Damned Things -  Handbook for the Recently Deceased 124 Handsome - Needles 125 RUN DMC - Beats To The Rhyme (Instrumental) 126 Jane's Addiction - Underground 127 Vision Of Disorder - Loveless 128 The Ronettes - Be My Baby 129 Marnie Stern - East Side Glory 130 Televison - See No Evil 131 Madonna - Into The Groove 132 Lunachicks - Subway 133 Type O Negative - In Praise Of Bacchus 134 Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street 135 Quicksand - Fazer 136 IGGY POP - Dont Look Down 137 Surfbort - Back to Reaction 138 Marvels The Punisher - Opening theme song 139 Blondie - The Hardest Part 140 Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman 141 Agnostic Front - Police State 142 RAMONES - 53rd & 3rd 143 FEAR - new yorks alright if you like saxophones 144 Lydia Lunch    - Spooky 145 Native New Yorker - Odyssey 146 Little River Band - Statue Of Liberty 147 Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side 148 Motherlover (feat. Justin Timberlake) 149 Aretha Franklin - Spanish Harlem 150 Luscious Jackson - Ladyfingers 151 The Cars - Hello Again 152 Stetsasonic - Talkin All That Jazz 153 Kajagoogoo - Big Apple 154 David Bowie - Andy Warhol 155 Voices Of East Harlem - Wanted Dead Or Alive 156 Talking Heads    - Life During Wartime 157 Joe Strummer - Love Kills (Sid and Nancy: Love Kills SOUNDTRACK) 158 Galt MacDermot - Cotton Comes to Harlem 159 Unsane - D-Train 160 The Warriors OST - The Warriors Full Theme Song 161 Biohazard - Black and White and Red All Over 162 WILLIE WOOD & WILLIE WOOD CREW - WILLIE rap 163 The Cult Sonic Temple New York City 164 Andrew W.K.- I Love New York City 165 BT Express - Peace Pipe 166 Baby Shakes -Turn It Up 167 Public Enemy - A Letter to the New York Post 168 The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Tales of the Old New York The Rock Box 169 Chicago - Another Rainy Day In New York City 170 Brooklyn Nine Nine - Main Title Theme 171 Cro-Mags - These Streets 172 AC/DC - Safe In New York City 173 Gogol Bordello - AVENUE B. 174 RUN DMC - Hard Times 175 Breakfast Club - Right On Track 176 Foo Fighters -  I Am a River 177 Cameo - New York 178 Ratt - 7th Avenue 179 Dr. Boogie - Get Back To New York City 180 Frank Sinatra - New York, New York. 181 PRINCE  - All The Critics Love U In New York 182 The Rising - Bruce Springsteen 183 The Night Flight Orchestra - 1998 184 Necro - Tough Jew Instrumental 185 TOM WAITS - Midtown 186 Scorpions - The Zoo 187 Stevie Wonder - Living For The City 188 Leeway - Mark of the squealer 189 Nuclear Assault -  Cold Steel 190 Fantomas -  Rosemary's Baby 191 Wu Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M. 192 Hanoi Rocks - 11th Street Kids 193 Patti Smith - Piss Factory 194 Moondog - Fog on the Hudson - On the Streets of New York 195 RAMONES - Something To Believe In 196 Neil Diamond - Brooklyn On A Saturday Night 197 Immolation - Despondent Souls 198 John Lennon - Just like starting over 199 PJ Harvey - you said something 200 Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man 201 John Cale - The philosopher 202 Bee Gees - Stayin Alive (Saturday Night Fever) 203 Suzanne Vega - Luka 204 Gorilla Biscuits - New Direction 205 Whodini - Escape (I Need a Break) 206 Agnostic Front - More Than A Memory 207 Beastie Boys - Helllo Brooklyn 208 Foreigner - Love on the Telephone 209 Gargoyles TV show Original Theme 210 Bush Tetras - Too Many Creeps 211 Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby 212 Ramones - Rockaway Beach 213 Public Enemy - Welcome To The Terrordome 214 Nico - These days 215 Swans - The Sound Of Freedom 216 Billy Joel - 52nd Street 217 XTC - Statue of liberty 218 Overkill -  Hello From The Gutter 219 Twisted Sister - Come out and play 220 Kiss - Deuce 221 Skinless - Savagery 222 Rob Zombie - Dragula 223 Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five - New York New York 224 Ric Ocasek - Rockaway 225 Ministry - Lieslieslies 226 Gogol Bordello - Wonderlust King 227 Iron Fist - intro 228 BPD - South Bronx 229 INXS - Calling All Nations 230 Pyrhhon - Liberty at the ashes 231 Shelter - Civilized Man 232 James Brown - Don't Tell It 233 Bob Dylan - Visions of Johanna 234 GSH -17th Street 235 Helmet - Iron Head 236 Salt-N-Pepa - Expression 237 Alice Cooper - BIG APPLE DREAMING 238 Profanatica - Ordained In Bile 239 John Coltrane - Grand Central 240 PRINCE  - Lady Cab Driver 241 Lou Reed - NYC Man 242 KISS - Naked City 243 Brutal Truth - Ordinary Madness 244 Quicksand - East 3rd St. 245 Teruo Nakamura And The Rising Sun - Manhattan Special 246 Herbie Mann - Turtle Bay 247 The Jimmy Castor Bunch - Its Just Begun 248 Prong -  Whose fist is this anyway? 249 Rolling Stones - Undercover Of The Night 250 Biohazard - Failed Territory 251 Brian Eno - Over Fire Island 252 Mutilation Rites - Axiom Destroyer 253 RATM - Renegades Of Funk 254 Blue Oyster Cult - Burnin' for You 255 Whiplash - Last Nail in the Coffin 256 Billy Cobham - Total Eclipse 257 The Rods - Too Hot to Stop 258 Lalo Schifrin - No One Home 259 David Shire - Manhattan Skyline 260 The Doors - Strange Days 261 WASP - The Headless Children 262 Budos Band - Black Venom 263 Roy Clark - Twelfth Street Rag 264 Guerilla Toss - Human Girl 265 Cecil Taylor - Steps 266 Heartbreakers - Born To Lose 267 They Might Be Giants - Where Your Eyes Don't Go 268 Frehleys Comet - Into the Night 269 West Side Story Act I -  Something's Coming 270 Sleater Kinney - Far Away 271 The Clash - Gates of the West 272 Betty Davis - nasty gal 273 Crumbsuckers - Beast on my back 274 SOD - Pi Alpha Nu 275 Led Zeppelin - custard pie 276 Insect Ark - In the nest 277 Sweet Tee - On the smooth 278 Virgin steele - American girl 279 Hugo Montenegro - Moog power 280 Laura Branigan - hot night 281 Chad Mitchell - The other side of this life 282 Vanilla Ice - Ninja rap 283 ELF - First avenue 284 Pro-Pain - Voice of rebelion 285 Simon & Garfunkel - the 59th street bridge song 286 RIOT - Fight or fall 287 Ramones - Teenage lobotomy 288 Gang Starr - The place we dwell 289 Billy Joel - All you wanna do is dance 290 Manowar - Fighting the world 291 Manic Street Preachers - Patrick Bateman 292 Ray Parker - Ghostbusters 293 Futurama theme song 294 Sick of it All - Alone 295 Anthrax - NFL 296 Street trash OST - Viper theme 297 PJ Harvey - good fortune 298 Don Cherry - Awake Nu 299 The Contortions - dish it out 300 Sonic Youth - Disappearer 301 Sonny Rollins - East Broadway run down 302 White Hills feat. Jim Jarmusch - Illusion 303 Fishbone - Ugly 304 Jeffrey Lewis - Sad screaming old man 305 Debbie Harry - Jump, jump 306 Cro-Mags- From the grave 307 John Lennon - New York City 308 R.E.M. - Leaving New York 309 Escape From New York OST - Main Title song 310 Type O Negative - Everything Dies 666 Richard Marx - Remember Manhattan

I reckon my New York playlist could reach 350 songs! Can you help me? Add your own songs. Bring it!

[rabbitcruiser]

Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, a New York City political organization was incorporated on May 12, 1789, as the Tammany Society.  

[blackkudos]

M. C. Hammer

Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American rapper, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the early 1990s. Remembered for his rapid rise to fame, Hammer is known for hit records (such as "U Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit 2 Quit"), flashy dance movements, choreography and eponymous Hammer pants.

A multi-award winner, M.C. Hammer is considered a "forefather/pioneer" and innovator of pop-rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album. BET ranked Hammer as the No. 7 "Best Dancer Of All Time". Vibe's "The Best Rapper Ever Tournament" declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round.

Burrell became a preacher during the late 1990s with a Christian ministry program on TBN called M.C. Hammer and Friends. Additionally, he starred in a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman in 1991, and was executive producer of his own reality show called Hammertime, which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009. Hammer was also a television show host and dance judge on Dance Fever in 2003, was co-creator of a dance website called DanceJam.com, and is a record label CEO while still performing concerts at music venues and assisting with other social media, ministry and outreach functions. Prior to becoming ordained, Hammer signed with Suge Knight's Death Row Records by 1995.

Throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording business. As a result, he has created and produced his own acts including Ho Frat Hoo!, Oaktown's 3.5.7, Special Generation, Analise, DRS, B Angie B, and Gentry Kozia. A part of additional record labels, he has associated, collaborated and recorded with Psy, VMF, Tupac Shakur, Teddy Riley, Felton Pilate, Tha Dogg Pound, The Whole 9, The Hines Brother, Deion Sanders, Big Daddy Kane, BeBe & CeCe Winans and Jon Gibson.

Early life and education

Stanley Kirk Burrell was born on March 30, 1962 in Oakland, California. His father was a professional poker player and gambling casino manager (at Oaks Card Club's cardroom), as well as warehouse supervisor. He grew up poor with his mother (a secretary) and eight siblings in a small apartment in East Oakland. He recalled that six children were crammed into a three-bedroom housing project apartment. The Burrells would also frequent thoroughbred horse races, eventually becoming owners and winners of several graded stakes.

In the Oakland Coliseum parking lot the young Burrell would sell stray baseballs and dance accompanied by a beatboxer. Oakland A's team owner Charles O. Finley saw the 11-year-old doing splits and hired him as a clubhouse assistant and batboy as a result of his energy and flair. Burrell served as a "batboy" with the team from 1973 to 1980. In 2010, Hammer discussed his lifelong involvement with athletes on ESPN's First Take as well as explained that his brother Louis Burrell Jr. (who would later become Hammer's business manager) was actually the batboy while his job was to take calls and do "play-by-plays" for the A's absentee owner during every summer game. The colorful Finley, who lived in Chicago, used the child as his "eyes and ears." Reggie Jackson, in describing Burrell's role for Finley, took credit for his nickname:

Hell, our chief executive, the guy that ran our team, uh, that communicated [with] Charlie Finley, the top man there, was a 13-year old kid. I nicknamed him "Hammer," because he looked like Hank Aaron [whose nickname was "The Hammer"].

Team players, including Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Pedro Garcia, also dubbed Burrell "Little Hammer" due to his resemblance to Aaron. Ron Bergman, at the time an Oakland Tribune writer who covered the A's, recalled that:

He was an informant in the clubhouse, an informant for Charlie, and he got the nickname "Pipeline."

According to Hammer:

Charlie said, "I'm getting you a new hat. I don't want you to have a hat that says "A's" on it. I'm getting you a hat that says 'Ex VP,' that says 'Executive Vice President.' You're running the joint around here." ... Every time I come down to the clubhouse, you know, Rollie would yell out "Oh, everybody be quiet! Here comes Pipeline!"

He acquired the nickname "M.C." for being a "Master of Ceremonies" which he used when he began performing at various clubs while on the road with the A's, and eventually in the military. Hammer, who played second base in high school, dreamed of being a professional baseball player but did not make the final cut at a San Francisco Giants tryout. However, he has been a participant/player in the annual Taco Bell All-Star Legends and Celebrity Softball Game wearing an A's cap to represent Oakland (American League).

Burrell went on to graduate from McClymonds High School in Oakland and took undergraduate classes in communications. Discouraged by his studies at a local college and failing to win a place in a professional baseball organization. He joined the United States Navy for three years, serving with PATRON (Patrol Squadron) FOUR SEVEN (VP-47) of NAS Moffett Field in Mountain View, CA as a Petty Officer Third Class Aviation Store Keeper (AK3) until his honorable discharge.

Music and entertainment career

Before Hammer's successful music career (with his mainstream popularity lasting approximately between 1988 and 1998) and his "rags-to-riches-to-rags-and-back saga", Burrell formed a Christian rap music group with CCM's Jon Gibson (or "J.G.") called Holy Ghost Boys. Some songs produced were called "Word" and "B-Boy Chill". "The Wall", featuring Burrell (it was originally within the lyrics of this song he first identified himself as K.B. and then eventually M.C. Hammer once it was produced), was later released on Gibson's album Change of Heart (1988). This was Contemporary Christian music's first rap hit ever. Burrell also produced "Son of the King" at that time, releasing it on his debut album. "Son of the King" showed up on Hammer's debut album Feel My Power (1987), as well as the re-released version Let's Get It Started (1988).

With exception to later remixes of early releases, Hammer produced and recorded many rap songs that were never made public, yet are now available on the Internet. Via his record labels such as Bust It Records, Oaktown Records and Full Blast, Hammer has introduced, signed and produced new talent including Oaktown's 3.5.7, Ho Frat Hoo!, the vocal quintet Special Generation, Analise, James Greer, One Cause One Effect, B Angie B, The Stooge Playaz, DASIT (as seen on ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show), Teabag, Common Unity, Geeman and Pleasure Ellis; both collaborating with him and producing music of their own during his career.

At about the age of 12, Oakland native Keyshia Cole recorded with Hammer and sought career advice from him.

Feel My Power (1986)

In the mid-1980s while rapping in small venues and after a record deal went sour, Hammer borrowed US$20,000 each from former Oakland A's players Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy to start a record label business called Bust It Productions. He kept the company going by selling records from his basement and car. Bust It spawned Bustin' Records, the independent label of which Hammer was CEO. Together, the companies had more than 100 employees. Recording singles and selling them out of the trunk of his car, he marketed himself relentlessly. Coupled with his dance abilities, Hammer's style was unique at the time.

Now billing himself as "M.C. Hammer", he recorded his debut album, Feel My Power, which was produced between 1986 and 1987 and released independently in 1987 on his Oaktown Records label (Bustin'). It was produced by Felton Pilate (of Con Funk Shun). It sold over 60,000 copies and was distributed by City Hall Records. In the spring of 1988, Tony Valera, a 107.7 KSOL Radio DJ, played the track "Let's Get It Started" in his mix-shows—a song in which Hammer declared he was "second to none, from Doug E. Fresh, LL Cool J, or DJ Run"—after which the track began to gain popularity in clubs. (He would continue to call out other East Coast rappers in future projects as well.)

Hammer also released a single called "Ring 'Em", and largely on the strength of tireless street marketing by Hammer and his wife, plus continued radio mix-show play, it achieved considerable popularity at dance clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Heartened by his rising prospects, Hammer launched into seven-day-a-week rehearsals with the growing troupe of dancers, musicians, and backup vocalists he had hired. It was Hammer's stage show, and his infectious stage presence, that led to his big break in 1988 while performing in an Oakland club. There he impressed a record executive who "didn't know who he was, but knew he was somebody", according to the New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll.

M.C.Hammer had received several offers from major record labels before (which he initially declined due to his personal success), but after the successful release of this independent album and elaborate live dance show amazed the Capitol Records executive, Hammer agreed to sign a record deal soon after. Hammer took home a US$1,750,000 advance and a multi-album contract. It didn't take long for Capitol to recoup its investment.

Let's Get It Started (1988)

Once signed to Capitol Records, Hammer re-issued his first record (a revised version of Feel My Power) with additional tracks added and sold over 2 million copies. "Pump It Up" (also performed during Showtime at the Apollo on September 16, 1989), "Turn This Mutha Out", "Let's Get It Started" and "They Put Me in the Mix" were the most popular singles from this album, all of which charted. Not entirely satisfied with this first multi-platinum success, Hammer's music underwent a metamorphosis, shifting from the standard rap format in his upcoming album. "I decided the next album would be more musical," he says. Purists chastised him for being more dancer than rapper. Sitting in a leopard-print bodysuit before a concert, he defended his style: "People were ready for something different from the traditional rap style. The fact that the record has reached this level indicates the genre is growing."

M.C. Hammer was very good friends with Arsenio Hall (as well as a then-unknown teen named Robert Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, despite later rumors that there was a "beef" between the two rappers which was addressed during the height of both their careers on Hall's show, and who he would later reunite with in a 2009 concert in Salt Lake City, Utah), and as such, Hammer was first invited to perform the song "U Can't Touch This", prior to its release, on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1989. He also performed "Dancing Machine" in a version that appeared in the same-titled movie.

Hammer used some of the proceeds from this album to install a rolling recording studio in the back of his tour bus, where he recorded much of his second album.

In 1989, Hammer was featured on "You've Got Me Dancing" (with Glen Goldsmith), which appeared on the Glen Goldsmith album Don't Turn This Groove Around (RCA Records). The track was Hammer's first release in the UK. Hammer also appeared in Glen Goldsmith's music video for this song. The single failed to chart.

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em (1990)

Notorious for dissing rappers in his previous recordings, Hammer appropriately titled his third album (and second major-label release) Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, which was released February 12, 1990 (with an original release date of January 1, 1990). It included the successful single "U Can't Touch This" (which sampled Rick James' "Super Freak"). It was produced, recorded, and mixed by Felton Pilate and James Earley on a modified tour bus while on tour in 1989. Despite heavy airplay and a No. 27 chart debut, "U Can't Touch This" stopped at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart because it was released only as a twelve-inch single. However, the album was a No. 1 success for 21 weeks, due primarily to this single, the first time ever for a recording on the pop charts. The song has been and continues to be used in many filmmaking and television shows to date, and appears on soundtrack/compilation albums as well.

Follow-up successes included a cover of the Chi-Lites' "Have You Seen Her" and "Pray" (a beat sampled from Prince's "When Doves Cry" and Faith No More's "We Care a Lot"), which was his biggest hit in the US, peaking at No. 2. "Pray" was also a major UK success, peaking at No. 8. The album went on to become the first hip-hop album to earn diamond status, selling more than 18 million units to date. During 1990, Hammer toured extensively in Europe which included a sold-out concert at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. With the sponsorship of PepsiCo International, Pepsi CEO Christopher A. Sinclair went on tour with him during 1991.

The album was notable for sampling other high-profile artists and gave some of these artists a new fanbase. "Dancin' Machine" sampled The Jackson 5, "Help the Children" (also the name of an outreach foundation Hammer started) interpolates Marvin Gaye's "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)", and "She's Soft and Wet" also sampled Prince's "Soft and Wet". All of these songs proved to be successful on radio and video television, with "U Can't Touch This," "Pray" (most successful), "Have You Seen Her," "Here Comes the Hammer," and "Yo!! Sweetness" (UK only) all charting. The album increased the popularity of hip-hop music. It remains the genre's all-time best-selling album.

A movie also accompanied the album and was produced in 1990, called Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (with portions of his music videos included within the movie). At the same time, he also appeared in The West Coast Rap All-Stars posse cut "We're All in the Same Gang." Music videos from this album and the previous albums began to receive much airplay on MTV and VH1.

M.C. Hammer also contributed a track, "This is What We Do", on the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie soundtrack on SBK Records.

A critical backlash began over the repetitive nature of his lyrics, his clean-cut image, and his perceived over-reliance on sampling others' entire hooks for the basis of his singles—criticisms also directed to his contemporary, Vanilla Ice. He was mocked in music videos by 3rd Bass (including a rap battle with MC Serch), The D.O.C., DJ Debranz, and Ice Cube. Oakland hip-hop group Digital Underground criticized him in the CD insert of their Sex Packets album by placing Hammer's picture in it and referring to him as an unknown derelict. Q Tip criticized him in "Check the Rhyme," asking, "What you say Hammer? Proper. Rap is not pop, if you call it that then stop." LL Cool J dissed him in "To tha Break of Dawn" (from the Mama Said Knock You Out album), calling Hammer an "amateur, swinging a Hammer from a bodybag [his pants]," and saying, "My old gym teacher ain't supposed to rap.", though this could have been seen as a response to Hammer calling him out in "Let's Get it Started", when he was mentioned along with Run-DMC and Doug E. Fresh as rappers that Hammer claimed to be better than. (LL Cool J would later compliment and commend Hammer's abilities/talents on VH-1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, which aired in 2008). However, Ice-T came to his defense on his 1991 album O.G. Original Gangster: "A special shout out to my man M.C. Hammer: a lot of people dis you, man, but they just jealous." Ice-T later explained that he had nothing against people who were pop-rap from the start, as Hammer had been, but only against emcees who switch from being hardcore or dirty to being pop-rap so that they can sell more records.

Despite the criticisms, Hammer's career continued to be highly successful including tours in Asia, Europe, Australia, and Russia. Soon after, M.C. Hammer Mattel dolls, lunchboxes, and other merchandise were marketed. He was also given his own Saturday morning cartoon, called Hammerman, which he hosted and voiced.

Too Legit to Quit (1991)

After publicly dropping the "M.C." from his stage name, Hammer released Too Legit to Quit (also produced by Felton Pilate) in 1991. Hammer answered his critics within certain songs from the album. Sales were strong (over five million copies), with the title track being the biggest hit single from this record. The album peaked in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200. Another hit came soon after, with "Addams Groove" (which appeared on both The Addams Family motion picture soundtrack and the vinyl and cassette versions of 2 Legit 2 Quit), reaching No. 7 in the U.S. and No. 4 in the UK. His video for the song appeared after the movie.

Hammer set out on a tour for this album, with a stage show which had become as grandiose and lavish as his lifestyle ⁠— ⁠loaded with singers, dancers, and backup musicians, the supporting concert tour was too expensive for the album's sales to finance, and it was canceled partway through. In 1992, Boyz II Men joined Hammer's high-profile 2 Legit 2 Quit tour as an opening act. While traveling the country, their tour manager Khalil Roundtree was murdered in Chicago, and the group's future performances of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" were dedicated to him. As a result of this unfortunate experience, the song would help advance their success.

Music videos were produced for all four singles released from this album (including "Do Not Pass Me By" and "This Is The Way We Roll"), all which charted.The "2 Legit 2 Quit" video featured many celebrity appearances. It's been ranked as one of the most expensive videos ever made. The hand motions used within the song and video also became very popular. The song proved to be successful in the U.S., peaking in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, at #5. Despite the album's multi-platinum certification, the sales were one-third of Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em.

At the end of the "2 Legit 2 Quit" video, after James Brown enlists Hammer to get the famous glove of Michael Jackson, a silver-white sequined glove is shown on the hand of a Michael Jackson look-alike doing the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand gesture. In a related story, M.C. Hammer appeared on The Wendy Williams Show (July 27, 2009) and talked about his hit reality show Hammertime on A&E, his marriage, his role as a dad and the reasons he eventually went bankrupt. He told an amusing story about a phone call he received from "M.J.", regarding the portion of the "2 Legit 2 Quit" video that included a fake Michael Jackson, giving his approval and inclusion of it. He explained how Michael had seen the video and liked it, and both expressed they were fans of one another. Hammer and Jackson would later appear, speak and/or perform at the funeral service for James Brown in 2006.

The artwork featured in the album was created by James B. Young and accompanying studios.

During 1991, Hammer was featured on the single "The Blood" from the BeBe & CeCe Winans album, Different Lifestyles. In 1992, the song peaked at No. 8 on the Christian charts.

New venture with Oaktown/Giant Records (1992–1993)

In 1992, after a four-year hiatus, Doug E. Fresh signed with Hammer's label, Bust It Records and issued one album, Doin' What I Gotta Do, which (despite some minor acclaim for his single "Bustin' Out (On Funk)" which sampled the Rick James 1979 single "Bustin' Out") was a commercial failure.

Prior to Hammer's next album, The Funky Headhunter, rumors from critics and fans began claiming Hammer had quit the music/entertainment business or had suffered a financial downfall (since a couple of years were passing between his two records), which Hammer denied. Hammer claimed rumors falsely heralded his downfall were most likely a result of the fact he turned over his "trimmed-down" Bust It Records to his brother and manager Louis Burrell Jr., and his horse racing interests to his brother Chris and their father, Louis Burrell Sr.

During his hiatus between albums, Hammer consequently signed a multimillion-dollar deal with a new record company. He said there were a lot of bidders, but "not too many of them could afford Hammer". Therefore, Hammer parted ways with Felton Pilate (who had previously worked with the successful vocal group Con Funk Shun) and switched record labels to Giant Records, taking his Oaktown label with him. Hammer was eventually sued by Pilate. Additionally, Hammer launched a new enterprise, called Roll Wit It Entertainment & Sports Management, with clients such as Evander Holyfield, Deion Sanders and Reggie Brooks. In 1993, his production company released a hit rap song by DRS.

By this time, he also parted ways with his only female executive, music business administration consultant and songwriter, Linda Lou McCall (who previously worked with The Delfonics and her husband Louis A. McCall, Sr.'s band Con Funk Shun). She went on to work with artists such as Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, Notorious B.I.G., Mýa, Black Eyed Peas and Eminem. A music industry vet who attended Howard University's College of Fine Arts and the University of California-Davis School of Law, McCall was hired by Hammer's brother and manager, Louis K. Burrell, in 1990 to help set up his corporate operations and administration at Bust It Management and Productions Inc. in Oakland, California. She later became Vice President of Hammer's talent management company, overseeing artists like Heavy D, B Angie B and Ralph Tresvant. While at Bust It, she and her husband Louis A. McCall, Sr. brought their artist Keith Martin to Felton's attention who hired him as a backup musician and vocalist for Hammer's Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em and Too Legit to Quit world tours. In 1993 and 1994, Linda Lou was also involved in several lawsuits against Hammer which were eventually settled out of court.

With a new home and daughter, a new record soon to be released, and his new business, Hammer claimed he was happy and far from being broke during a tour of his mansion for Ebony. "Today there is a more aggressive Hammer, because the '90s require you to be more aggressive", Hammer said of his music style. "There is a harder edge, but I'm no gang member. Hammer in the '90s is on the offense, on the move, on the attack. And it's all good".

The Funky Headhunter and Prime Time (1994)

In 1993, Hammer began recording his fifth official album. To adapt to the changing landscape of hip-hop, this album was a more aggressive sounding album entitled The Funky Headhunter. He co-produced this record with funky rapper and producer, Stefan Adamek. While Hammer's appearance changed to keep up with the gangsta rap audience, his lyrics still remained honest and somewhat clean with minor profanity. Yet, as with previous records, Hammer would continue to call out and disrespect other rappers on this album. As with some earlier songs such as "Crime Story" (from the album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em), the content and reality about "street life" remained somewhat the same, but the sound was different, resulting in Hammer losing favor with fans. Nonetheless, this harder-edged, more aggressive record went gold, but failed to win him a new audience among hardcore hip-hop fans.

In another appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show during the mid-1990s, Hammer debuted the video for "Pumps and a Bump". Talk show host Arsenio Hall said to M.C. Hammer, "Women in the audience want to know, what's in your speedos in the 'Pumps and a Bump' video?" A clip from the video was then shown, to much approval from the audience. Hammer didn't give a direct answer, but instead laughed. Arsenio then said, "I guess that's why they call you 'Hammer.' It ain't got nothin' to do with Hank Aaron."

The accompanying video to the album's first single, "Pumps and a Bump", was banned from heavy rotation on MTV with censors claiming that the depiction of Hammer in Speedos (and with what appeared to be an erection) was too graphic. This led to an alternative video being filmed (with Hammer fully clothed) that was directed by Bay Area native Craig S. Brooks.

"It's All Good" was the second single released, which would become a pop culture phrase as a result of its success. It was also the most successful song by this title.Within this album, Hammer disses rappers such as A Tribe Called Quest (Q-Tip), Redman and Run DMC for previous attacks they made against him on wax. This quite possibly led to a decrease in his popularity after this record responded to his critics.

On December 20, 1994, Deion Sanders released Prime Time, a rap album on Hammer's Bust It Records label which featured the minor hit "Must Be The Money". "Prime Time Keeps on Tickin'" was also released as a single. Sanders, a friend of Hammer's, had previously appeared in his "Too Legit to Quit" music video, and his alter-ego "Prime Time" is also used in Hammer's "Pumps and a Bump" video.

The song "Help Lord (Won't You Come)" appeared in Kingdom Come.This album peaked at number two on the R&B charts and remained in the Top 30 midway through the year. To date, it has managed to become certified platinum.

Inside Out, Death Row Records and Too Tight (1995–1996)

In 1995, Hammer released the album Inside Out V (or inside out V). The album sold poorly compared to previous records (peaking at 119 on the Billboard Charts) and Giant Records dropped him and Oaktown Records from their roster. Songs "Going Up Yonder" and "Sultry Funk" managed to get moderate radio play (even charting on national radio station countdowns).

Along with a fickle public, Hammer would go on to explain in this album that he felt many of his so-called friends he helped staff, used and betrayed him which contributed to a majority of his financial loss (best explained in the song "Keep On" and the bio from this album). He would also hint about this again in interviews, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2009.

In 1995, Hammer released "Straight to My Feet" (with Deion Sanders) from the Street Fighter soundtrack (released in December 1994). The song charted No. 57 in the UK.

Hammer's relationship with Suge Knight dates back to 1988. Hammer signed with Death Row Records by 1995, then home to Snoop Dogg and his close friend, Tupac Shakur. The label did not release the album of Hammer's music (titled Too Tight) while he had a career with them, although he did release versions of some tracks on his next album. However, Burrell did record tracks with Shakur and others, most notably the song "Too Late Playa" (along with Big Daddy Kane and Danny Boy). After the death of Shakur in 1996, Burrell left the record company. He later explained his concern about this circumstance in an interview on Trinity Broadcasting Network since he was in Las Vegas with Tupac the night of his death.

Return to EMI and Family Affair (1996–1998)

In October 1996, Burrell and Oaktown signed with EMI, which saw the release of a compilation album of Hammer's chart topping songs prior to The Funky Headhunter. The album, titled Greatest Hits, featured 12 former hits. In 1998, another "greatest hits" album, called Back 2 Back Hits, was produced and released by CEMA. (Another compilation version of Back 2 Back was later released by Capitol Records in 2006.) As Hammer's empire began to collapse when his last album failed to match the sales of its predecessors, and since he unsuccessfully attempted to recast himself in the "streetwise/hardcore rap" mold of the day, Hammer turned to a gospel-friendly audience.

In 1998, MC Hammer released his first album in his new deal with EMI, titled Family Affair, because it was to introduce the world to the artists he had signed to his Oaktown Records (Geeman, Teabag, and Common Unity) as they made their recording debut. Technically his seventh album since his debut EP, this record was highly promoted on Trinity Broadcasting Network (performing a more gospel version of "Keep On" from his album Inside Out V), yet featured no charting singles and selling about 1,000 copies worldwide.

The album also features a song written for Hammer by 2Pac called "Unconditional Love". Hammer would later dance and read the lyrics to this song on the first VH1 Hip Hop Honors in 2004.

A double album mostly about faith and family values, additional tracks from Family Affair are: "Put It Down", "Put Some Stop in Your Game", "Big Man", "Set Me Free", "Our God", "Responsible Father Shout", "He Brought Me Out", (Geeman Intro), "Eye's Like Mine", "Never Without You", "Praise Dance Theme Song", "Shame of the Name", (Smoothout Intro), (Teabag Intro), "Silly Heart", "I Wish U Were Free", (Common Unity Intro), "Someone to Hold to You", "Pray" (1998), "Let's Get It Started" (1998), and with "Hammer Music/Shouts/Tour Info" announcements between songs. The compact disks are also "PC Ready" with interactive features.

After this album, new projects were rumored to be in the works, including an album (War Chest: Turn of the Century) and a soundtrack to the film Return to Glory: The Powerful Stirring of the Black Man, but neither appeared.

The Hits and Active Duty (2000–2001)

In 2000, another compilation album was released, titled The Hits. It contains 17 tracks from his first four albums.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, M.C. Hammer released his 8th studio album, Active Duty, on his own World Hit Music Group label (the musical enterprise under his Hammertime Holdings Inc. umbrella) to pay homage to the ones lost in the terrorist attacks. The album followed that theme, and featured two singles (with accompanying videos), "No Stoppin' Us (USA)" and "Pop Yo Collar" (featuring Wee Wee) which demonstrates "The Phat Daddy Pop", "In Pop Nito", "River Pop", "Deliver The Pop" and "Pop'n It Up" dance moves. The album, like its predecessor, failed to chart and would not sell as many copies as previous projects. Hammer did however promote it on such shows as The View and produced a video for both singles.

This patriotic album, originally planned to be titled The Autobiography Of M.C. Hammer, donated portions of the proceeds to 9/11 charities. Hammer shot a video for the anthem "No Stoppin' Us (USA)" in Washington, D.C., with several members of the United States Congress, who sang in the song and danced in the video. Present members of the United States House of Representatives included J. C. Watts, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Thomas M. Davis, Earl Hilliard, Alcee Hastings, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.), Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) and Jesse Jackson, Jr.

Full Blast (2004)

After leaving Capitol Records and EMI for the second time in his career, M.C. Hammer decided to move his Oaktown imprint to an independent distributor and released his ninth studio album, Full Blast (which was completed in late 2003 and released as a complete album in early 2004). The album would feature no charting singles and was not certified by the RIAA. A video was produced for "Full Blast", a song that attacks Eminem and Busta Rhymes for previous disrespect towards him.

Some of the original songs didn't end up making the final album release. Guest artists included The Stooge Playaz, Pleasure, Rain, JD Greer and DasIt.

Look Look Look and Platinum MC Hammer (2006–2008)

After going independent, Hammer decided to create a digital label to release his tenth studio album, Look Look Look. The album was released in February 2006 and featured production from Scott Storch. The album featured the title-track single (Look Look Look) and a music video. It would sell much better than his previous release (300,000 copies worldwide).

"YAY" was produced by Lil Jon. "What Happened to Our Hood?" (featuring Sam Logan) was originally from Active Duty. "I Got It From The Town" was used in the movie but is only present in one scene instead of the originally planned two on The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (soundtrack).

Between 2006 and 2007, Hammer released a military-inspired rap song with a political message to President George W. Bush about sending American troops back home from war, called "Bring Our Brothers Home". The video was filmed at the Santa Monica Pier.

In 2008, Platinum MC Hammer was released by EMI Records. The compilation consists of 12 tracks from Hammer's previous albums, with a similar playlist as former "greatest hits" records (with the exception of including a remix of "Hammer Hammer, They Put Me In A Mix" which includes rap lyrics that "They Put Me In A Mix" originally did not). An import was released by Capitol Records.

DanceJamtheMusic (2008–2009)

Since his 2006 album, Hammer continued to produce music and released several other raps that appeared on his social websites (such as Myspace and Dancejam.com) or in commercials, with another album announced to be launched in late 2008 (via his own record label Fullblast Playhouse). Talks of the tour and a new album were expected in 2009.

"Getting Back to Hetton" was made public in 2008 as a digital single. It was a departure for Hammer, bringing in funky deep soul and mixing it with a more house style. Released through licence on Whippet Digital Recordings, media reviews were said to be "disappointing". However, the song "I Got Gigs" from this album was used in a 2009 ESPN commercial and performed during Hammertime (as well as played while he danced just prior to introducing Soulja Boy during YouTube Live on November 22, 2008).

Other tracks and videos from the album included: "I Go" (produced by Lil Jon), "Keep It In Vegas", "Lookin' Out The Window", "Dem Jeans" (by DASIT), "Stooge Karma Sutra" (by The Stooge Playaz) and "Tried to Luv U" (by DASIT featuring Pleasure Ellis).

In March 2009, M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice had a one-off concert at the McKay Events Center in Orem, Utah. This concert aided in the promotion of Hammer's new music and television show. During the concert (as shown during an episode of Hammertime), it was mentioned between the two rappers that this was their first headline show together in nearly 20 years, since the time when they were touring together at the peak of their hip-hop careers. Hammer said: "Contrary to popular belief, Ice and I are not only cool with each other, we are like long lost friends. I've known him since he was 16, before he had a record contract and before I had a record contract. It is a great reunion." Vanilla Ice, real name Robert Van Winkle, said: "It's like no time has passed at all. We set the world on fire back in the day - it gives me goose bumps to think about. The concert wouldn't have been so packed if it wasn't us together. I'm so happy right now, the magic is here."

Most recent releases (2010–present)

Hammer has occasionally released singles over the past few years. Below are the most publicized:

"Better Run Run" (2010)

M.C. Hammer promised to release a track (expected on October 31, 2010) responding to a song by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z which attacked him. On the "So Appalled" track, which features Swizz Beatz and RZA, Jay-Z raps a verse targeting Hammer about his financial dilemma in the 1990s. On it Jay says: 'Hammer went broke so you know I'm more focused / I lost 30 mil' so I spent another 30 / 'Cause unlike Hammer 30 million can't hurt me'. Hammer addressed his displeasure about the diss on Twitter, claiming he will react to Jay-Z on Halloween.

Hammer released a sample of his "beef" with Jay-Z (aka 'Hell Boy' according to Hammer) in a brief teaser trailer called "Better Run Run" by 'King Hammer'. At one point, it was uncertain if his reaction would be a film video, a music video or a combination of both. Regardless, he claimed he would show evidence that 'Jigga worships the devil'. It's possible that Jay-Z was offended by an analogy Hammer was conveying in an earlier interview in response to "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" on AllHipHop.

On November 1, Hammer's song with video called "Better Run Run!" hit the web in retaliation to Jay-Z's September 2010 diss towards him. M.C. accuses Jigga of being in league (and in the studio) with Satan—and then Hammer defeats the devil and forces Jay to be baptized. Speaking on the video, Jacob O'Gara of Ethos Magazine wrote: "What's more likely is that this feud is the last chapter in the tragic cautionary tale of M.C. Hammer, a tale that serves as a warning to all present and future kings of hip-hop. Keep your balance on the pedestal and wear the crown strong or you'll have the Devil to pay."

In an interview with BBC's DJ Semtex, Jay said he didn't mean the verses as a personal attack. "I didn't know that [Hammer's financial status] wasn't on the table for discussion!" he said. "I didn't know I was the first person ever to say that..." He continued, "When I say things, I think people believe me so much that they take it a different way — it's, like, not rap anymore at that point. I say some great things about him in the book I have coming out [Decoded] — that wasn't a cheap plug," he laughed. "He's gonna be embarrassed, I said some really great things about him and people's perception of him. But it is what it is, he took it that wrong way, and I didn't know I said anything wrong!"

"See Her Face" (2011)

On February 3, 2011, M.C. Hammer appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show premiering the track "See Her Face" via Flipboard. It was the first time Flipboard included music in the application.

"Raider Nation" and "All In My Mind" (2013–2014)

Among other singles, Hammer released "Raider Nation (Oakland Raiders Anthem)" along with a video in late 2013 and "All In My Mind" (which samples "Summer Breeze" by The Isley Brothers) in early 2014 with his newly formed group called Oakland Fight Club featuring Mistah F.A.B.

"Help the Children" (2017)

Hammer released an updated version of his 1990 charting song with a short film video in late 2017.

Additional business ventures

In 1991, M.C. Hammer established Oaktown Stable that would eventually have nineteen Thoroughbred racehorses. That year, his outstanding filly Lite Light won several Grade I stakes races including the prestigious Kentucky Oaks. His D. Wayne Lukas-trained colt Dance Floor won the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and the Breeders' Futurity Stakes in 1991, then the following year won the Fountain of Youth Stakes and finished 3rd in the 1992 Kentucky Derby. He continues to attend shows as well as many sporting events alongside celebrities.

In the late 1990s into the early 2000s, along with a new clothing line called "J Slick", Hammer began creating and working on M.C. Hammer USA, an interactive online portal.

In 2002, Hammer signed a book contract with publishing company Simon & Schuster which called for a release the following year. However, a manuscript for an inspirational book called Enemies of the Father: Messages from the Heart on Being a Family Man (addressing the situation of African American men), for which Hammer received advance money to write, was never submitted in 2003. This resulted in Hammer being sued by the book company over claims that he never finished the book as promised. The company's March 2009 lawsuit sought return of the US$61,000 advance given to Hammer for the unwritten book about fatherhood.

Hammer was a popular web mogul and activist, becoming involved in several Internet projects (including TechCrunch40 conferences). In 2007, Hammer was co-founder and chief strategy officer of Menlo Park-based (Silicon Valley) DanceJam.com along with Geoffrey Arone. The community site (valued at $4.5 million) was exclusively dedicated to dancing video competitions, techniques and styles which Hammer sometimes judged or rated. After receiving $4.5 million in total equity funding, the site closed on January 1, 2011.

In July 2010, Hammer started a mixed martial arts management company to manage, market, promote, and brand-build for fighters such as Nate Marquardt, Tim F. Kennedy, and Vladimir Matyushenko, among others. According to MMAWeekly.com and Bizjournals, his new company is Alchemist Management in Los Angeles. It now manages 10 fighters. That same month, Hammer also announced his latest venture called Alchemist Clothing. The brand described as a colorful new lifestyle clothing line debuted during an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight in Austin. Middleweight fighter Nate "The Great" Marquardt wore an Alchemist shirt as he walked out to the ring. Hammer has shown an interest in boxing throughout his career.

On September 28, 2010, M.C. Hammer headlined at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference for an official after-hours party.

Hammer appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in February 2011 to discuss his tech-media-mogul status, as well as his creation, demonstration and consulting of social applications/sites/media (such as having an involvement with the Internet since 1994 including YouTube and Twitter), and devices such as iPad and ZAGGmate. He also explained how employing/helping so many people in the past never really caused him to be broke in terms of the average person, as the media made it seem, nor would he have changed any experiences that has led him to where he is today. During the "Whatever Happened to M.C. Hammer" episode, he discussed his current home, family and work life as well.

In October 2011, Hammer announced a new internet venture called WireDoo - a "deep search engine" that planned to compete with the major search engines including Google and Bing. With the motto, "Search once and see what's related", Hammer's team planned to eventually open up the site to a select number of beta testers. Wiredoo failed, having never left beta testing, and officially went offline in early 2012.

Television and film career

M.C. Hammer produced and starred in his own movie, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990). The film is about a rapper returning to his hometown who defeats a drug lord using kids to traffic his product. For this project, Hammer earned a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video at the 33rd Grammy Awards (having been nominated for two). He later produced MC Hammer: 2 Legit (The Videos), which included many actors and athletes.

Hammer appeared in major marketing campaigns for companies such as Pepsi, KFC, Toshiba, British Knights and Taco Bell during the height of his career.

In 1991, Hammer hosted, sang/rapped and voiced a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman. That same year, he and Bust It Productions (including B Angie B, Special Generation and Ho Frat Hoo!) appeared in concert from New Orleans on BET

Hammer has made cameos and/or performed on many television shows such as Saturday Night Live (as host and musical guest), Amen and Martin. He also made a cameo in the 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero. Hammer would also go on to appear as himself on The History of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 5 (1995). Additionally, he has been involved in movies as an actor such as, One Tough Bastard (1996), Reggie's Prayer (1996), the Showtime film The Right Connections (1997), Deadly Rhapsody (2001), Finishing the Game (2007) and 1040 (2010), as well as a television and movie producer.

Despite public attacks about his financial status, after meeting at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas in April 2001, it was Hammer (credited as a producer) who provided the much needed funding to filmmaker Justin Lin for Better Luck Tomorrow (2002). In its first ever film acquisition, MTV Films eventually acquired Better Luck Tomorrow after it debuted at The Sundance Film Festival. The director said, "Out of desperation, I called up MC Hammer because he had read the script and liked it. Two hours later, he wired the money we needed into a bank account and saved us."

Hammer appeared in two cable television movies. At the age of 39, he was one of the producers for the VH1 movie Too Legit: The M.C. Hammer Story, starring Romany Malco and Tangi Miller as his wife, which aired on December 19, 2001. The film is a biopic which chronicles the rise and fall of the artist. "2 Legit To Quit: The Life Story of M.C. Hammer" became the second highest-rated original movie in the history of VH1 and broadcast simultaneously on BET. "The whole script came from me," says Hammer, "I sat down with a writer and gave him all the information."

In 2003, Hammer appeared on The WB's first season of The Surreal Life, a reality show known for assembling an eclectic mix of celebrities to live together. He was also a dance judge on the 2003 ABC Family TV series Dance Fever. Additionally, he appeared on VH1's And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop (2004) as well as in 100 Greatest Songs of the 90s (2008), a countdown which he was also commentator on. His eldest child, A'Keiba Burrell, was a contestant on MTV's Rock the Cradle in April 2008 (which Hammer also made appearances on).

Hammer had shown an interest in having his own reality show with specific television networks at one point. Already being a part of shows for VH1 and The WB (I Married... M.C. Hammer and The Surreal Life), it was later confirmed he would appear in Hammertime on A&E Network in the summer of 2009. This reality show was about his personal, business and family life. The following year, Hammer appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly June 3, 2009 to promote his show which began June 14, 2009 at 10 PM EST.

In August 2008, a new ESPN ad featured Hammer in it, showcasing his single "I Got Gigs'" (from his DanceJamtheMusic album). The commercial was for Monday Night Football's upcoming football season. This is not the first commercial in more recent years that Hammer has been in, or his songs/raps/dancing was used for and included in such as Lay's, Hallmark Cards, Purell, Lysol, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Citibank, etc. On February 1, 2009, Hammer and Ed McMahon were featured in a Super Bowl XLIII commercial for Cash4Gold.

In addition to appearing in television commercials, M.C. Hammer's music has also been used in television shows and movies, especially "U Can't Touch This" during The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), Hot Shots! (1990), The Super (1991), Doogie Howser, M.D. (1992), Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Into the Wild (2007), Tropic Thunder (2008), Dancing with the Stars (2009), Glee (2010) and many more. Additionally, "This Is What We Do" was a 1990 track by Hammer (featuring B Angie B) for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and soundtrack. Tracks "That's What I Said" and "Feel My Power" were used for the Rocky V film and soundtrack. Some examples of other raps by Hammer used in movies and television were "Addams Groove" (The Addams Family), "Pray" (License to Wed), "2 Legit 2 Quit" (Hot Rod), "I Got It From The Town" (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), "Help Lord, Won't You Come" (Kingdom Come), "Let's Go Deeper" (Beverly Hills, 90210) and "Straight to My Feet" (Street Fighter), among others.

Along with Betty White, Hammer was a voice actor on the September 17, 2010 episode of Glenn Martin, DDS called "Step-brother". In 2016, MC Hammer appeared as himself in an episode of Uncle Grandpa on Cartoon Network.

Hammer has most recently been a spokesman for 3M Command Strips and Starburst.

Dancer, choreographer and entertainer

M.C. Hammer's dance style not only helped pave the way for the Bay Area movement called Hyphy, but also helped to bring hip-hop and rap to the Bay Area. His dancing skills are still taught to this day. With his popular trademark Hammer Pants, one phenomenal difference from Hammer versus other performers during his heyday was that he was an entertainer, both during live shows and in music videos. His flamboyant dancing was as much a part of his performances as rapping and musical instruments were. With high-energy dance routines, he is often considered one of the greatest dancers. While adding his own techniques, Hammer adopted styles from James Brown and The Nicholas Brothers such as the splits, and feverish choreographed dance routines including leaps and slides, most notably. His creation of such dances as "Hammer Dance" (or the "Typewriter Dance"), "The Bump" (from "U Can't Touch This") and the use of "The Running Man" and the "Butterfly," among others, made his flashy and creative dance skills unlike any others at the time.

Hammer's showmanship and elaborate stage choreography, involving fifteen dancers, twelve backup singers, seven live musicians and two disc jockeys, gave him a powerful visual appeal. Hammer was the first rap artist to put together a choreographed show of this type, and his visual flair attracted heavy airplay for his videos on MTV, which at the time had a predominantly white viewership that had aired little rap music before Hammer.

During a 1990 visit from M.C. Hammer (accompanied by his friend Fab Five Freddy) on Yo! MTV Raps, one of the dancers whom Hammer was holding auditions for was a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez.

At the height of his career, Hammer had his legs insured for a substantial amount of money (into the millions), as mentioned in an interview by Maria Shriver in the early 1990s. He later suffered an injury to his knee that halted his dancing career for a period of time. Eventually, BET ranked Hammer as the 7th Best Dancer Of All Time. Some of Hammer's entourage, or "posse" as he called them, were also trained/skilled dancers (including Tiffany Patterson). They participated in videos and at concerts, yet too many dancers and band members eventually contributed to Hammer's downfall, proving to be too much for him to finance.

Hammer stayed active in the dance media/genre, both on television shows and as co-founder of DanceJam.com (which showcased dance competitions and instructional videos on all the latest dance styles) until he and his partner Geoffrey Arone sold it to Grind Networks. Well known for bringing choreography to hip-hop, many of his dancing skills can still be seen on dance-focused and social networking sites. "Dance is unlike any other social medium. It's the core of our culture", Burrell told Wired News.

In addition to his websites and other Internet appearances, Hammer has also appeared demonstrating much of his dancing abilities on talk shows such as The Arsenio Hall Show, Soul Train, Late Night with Conan O'Brien (performing O'Brien's famous "string dance" together as well), The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The View and was a dance judge on Dance Fever. On June 3, 2009, he performed the "Hammer dance" on Live with Regis and Kelly with Will Ferrell as co-host.

While Hammer may have challenged and competed with Michael Jackson during the height of his career, they were friends, proven by a phone call Hammer had with Jackson about his "Too Legit to Quit" video which he shared on The Wendy Williams Show (July 2009). Hammer wanted to ensure he was not offended by the ending of the video where a purported Michael Jackson (seen only from behind) does the "2 Legit 2 Quit" hand gesture with his famous glove. They also appeared together at the funeral service for James Brown in 2006, where Hammer danced in honor of The Godfather of Soul. After Jackson's death, Hammer posted his remembrance and sympathy of the superstar on Twitter. Michael's friend and fellow pop culture icon Hammer told Spinner that, "now that the King of Pop has passed, it's the duty of his fans and loved ones to carry Jackson's creative torch." He went on to say, "Michael Jackson lit the fuse that ignited the spirit of dance in us all. He gave us a song and a sweet melody that will never die. Now we all carry his legacy with joy and pride."

Personal life

At the time of his first album, M.C. Hammer opened his own music management firm. As a result of the success of his third album, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, Hammer had amassed approximately US$33 million. US$12 million was used to build his Xanadu-like home in Fremont, California, 30 miles (50 km) south of where he grew up. Jet reported Hammer once employed 200 people, with an annual payroll of US$6.8 million. The estate was sold for $5.3 million after Hammer lived in it for six years.

Hammer currently resides in a large ranch-style abode situated on a two-acre corner lot in Tracy, California with his wife Stephanie of over 30 years (whom he met at a church revival meeting and married December 21, 1985). They have five children: three boys (Bobby, Jeremiah, Sammy) and two girls (Sarah, A'keiba), along with a nephew (Jamaris) and cousin (Marv) having lived with them. It was reported in July 2012, that Hammer was encouraged to marry Whitney Houston by her father at the Super Bowl in 1991.

Hammer frequently posts about his life and activities on his blog "Look Look Look", as well as other social websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter (being one of the earliest celebrities to contribute and join). A self-described "super geek" who's presently consulting for or investing in eight technology companies, Hammer claims to spend 10–12 hours daily working on his technology projects, and tweets 30-40 times a day.

Hammer was an endorser of the SAFE California Act, which if passed in November 2012, would have replaced the death penalty. However, the proposition was defeated.

Bankruptcy, lawsuits and media reaction

Contrary to public rumor, Hammer claimed he was really never "down-and-out" as reported by the media (eventually expressed on The Opie & Anthony Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2009). Originally having an estimated net worth of over $33 million according to Forbes magazine, speculations about Hammer's status first emerged during delays between albums Too Legit to Quit and The Funky Headhunter, with Hammer having spent much of his money on staff and personal luxuries. In addition to excessive spending while supporting friends and family, Hammer ultimately became $13 million in debt. With dwindling album sales, unpaid loans, a large payroll, and a lavish lifestyle, Hammer eventually filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Oakland, California on April 1, 1996. The case was converted to Chapter 7 on September 23, 1998, but Hammer was denied a bankruptcy discharge on April 23, 2002.

Hammer's mansion was sold for a fraction of its former price. "My priorities were out of order," he told Ebony. He claimed, "My priorities should have always been God, family, community, and then business. Instead they had been business, business, and business." Along with Felton Pilate and other group members, Rick James sued Hammer for infringement of copyright, but the suit was settled out of court when Hammer agreed to credit James as co-composer, effectively cutting James in on the millions of dollars the record was earning. By the late 1990s, though, Hammer seemed to stabilize himself and made himself ready to undertake new projects.

In 1992, Hammer had admitted in depositions and court documents to getting the idea for the song "Here Comes the Hammer" from a Christian recording artist in Dallas named Kevin Christian. Christian had filed a 16 million dollar lawsuit against Hammer for copyright infringement of his song entitled "Oh-Oh, You Got the Shing". This fact, compounded with witness testimony from both Hammer's and Christian's entourages, and other evidence (including photos), brought about a settlement with Capitol Records in 1994. The terms of the settlement remain sealed. Hammer settled with Christian the following year.

In 1997, just prior to beginning his ministry, M.C. Hammer (who by that time had re-adopted "M.C.") was the subject of an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show and the VH1 series Behind the Music (music from his album Inside Out V was featured in this documentary). In these appearances, Burrell admitted "that [he] had already used up most of [his] fortune of over $20 million, proving that money is nothing if it doesn't bring peace and if priorities are wrong". He would go on to express a similar point in other interviews as well.

During numerous interviews on radio stations and television channels throughout the years, Hammer was constantly questioned about his bankruptcy. During an interview by WKQI-FM (95.5) for the promotion of his "Pioneers Of Hip Hop 2009" gig at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, which featured 2 Live Crew, Naughty by Nature, Too Short, Biz Markie, and Roxanne Shanté, Hammer was asked about his finances by the Mojo in the Morning host. Hammer responded on Twitter that Mojo was a "coward" and threatened to cancel commercials for his upcoming show.

On November 21, 2011, the U.S. government filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court in California against Hammer to obtain a court judgment on his unpaid taxes for years 1996 and 1997. In December 2011, this litigation was reported in the media. Hammer owed $779,585 in back taxes from his earnings dating back to 1996–1997 - during the years Hammer was believed to be facing his worst financial problems. After years of public and media ridicule regarding his financial problem, Hammer tried to assure fans and "naysayers" via Twitter, claiming that he had proof he had already taken care of his debt with the IRS. "700k … Don't get too excited .. I paid them already and kept my receipt. Stamped by a US Federal Judge", Hammer tweeted from his account @MCHammer. However, the District Court ruled against Hammer. He appealed but, on December 17, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected Hammer's argument that because the government had not listed those taxes in the government's proof of claim filed with the Bankruptcy Court, the government should be stopped from collecting the taxes. According to a 2017 episode of the Reelz TV series Broke & Famous, the situation was eventually resolved. As of the making of the aforementioned Broke & Famous episode, Hammer had a reported net worth of $1.5 million.

Obstruction charges

M.C. Hammer was arrested in 2013 in Dublin, California for allegedly obstructing an officer in the performance of his duties and resisting an officer (according to "stop and identify" statutes). Hammer claims he was a victim of racial profiling by the police, stating an officer pulled out his gun and randomly asked him: "Are you on parole or probation?" Hammer stated that as he handed over his ID, the officer reached inside the car and tried to pull him out. Police in Dublin, east of Oakland, said Hammer was "blasting music" in a vehicle with expired registration and he was not the registered owner. "After asking Hammer who the registered owner was, he became very argumentative and refused to answer the officer's questions," police spokesman Herb Walters typed in an e-mail to CNN. Hammer was booked and released from Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. A court date was scheduled, however, all charges were dropped in early March. Hammer tweeted that he was not bitter and considered what happened "a teachable moment."

Christian beliefs and pastoral ministry

In 1984, Burrell began attending Bible studies, joined a street ministry and formed a gospel rap group known as Holy Ghost Boys featuring Jon Gibson. In 1986, Burrell along with Tramaine Hawkins, performed with Gibson's band doing several concerts at various venues such as the Beverly Theatre in Beverly Hills and recorded several rap songs. They collaborated on a song for Gibson's 1988 album (Change of Heart) called "The Wall", prior to M.C. Hammer's mainstream success. This was Contemporary Christian music's first rap hit ever. Burrell also produced "Son of the King" at that time, releasing it on his debut album.

Raised Pentecostal, Hammer strayed from his Christian faith during his success, before returning to ministry. His awareness of this can be found in a film he wrote and starred in called Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990), in which he also plays the charismatic preacher character named "Reverend Pressure". Nonetheless, as a tribute to his faith, Hammer vowed/promised to dedicate at least one song on each album to God.

During 1991, Hammer was featured on the single "The Blood" from the BeBe & CeCe Winans album, Different Lifestyles. In 1992, the song peaked at No. 8 on the Christian charts.

Hammer later reaffirmed his beliefs in October 1997, and began a television ministry called M.C. Hammer and Friends on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, as well as appearing on Praise the Lord programs where he went public about his devotion to ministry as an ordained minister. Hammer officiated at the celebrity weddings of actor Corey Feldman and Susie Sprague on October 30, 2002 (as seen on VH1's The Surreal Life), and also at Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil and Lia Gerardini's wedding in January 2005.

During an interview on TBN (between 1997 and 1998), Hammer claimed he adopted the "M.C." back into his name which now stood for 'Man of Christ'. Hammer continued to preach while still making music, running a social media business and television show, and devotes time to prison and youth ministries.

From 2009 to 2010, Hammer joined Jaeson Ma at a crusade in Asia. Minister and mentor to Ma for more than a decade, Hammer assisted and co-starred in his documentary film 1040, which explores the spread of Christianity throughout Asia.

Legacy and pop culture fame

Widely considered the first "mainstream" rapper, Hammer continues to entertain while sharing his legacy with other rappers (as cited on BET.com). Hammer became a fixture of the television airwaves and the big screen, with his music being used in many popular shows, movies and commercials still to this day. Hammer appeared in major marketing campaigns for companies to the point that he was criticized as a "sellout", including commercials for British Knights during the height of his career. The shoe company signed him to a $138 million deal.

Hammer's impression on the music industry appeared almost instantaneous, as Digital Underground's rap "The Humpty Dance," which was released when Hammer was still early in his career, included the lyrics "People say ya look like M.C. Hammer on crack, Humpty!", boasting about Hammer's showmanship versus Humpty Hump (Shock G)'s inability to match it in dance. Additionally, Hammer had several costly videos, two in particular were "Too Legit to Quit" or "2 Legit 2 Quit" (in which many celebrities appeared) and "Here Comes the Hammer".

Hammer is well-known for his fashion style during the late 80s and early 90s. Hammer would tour, perform and record with his hype man 2 Bigg MC or Too Big (releasing a song in which he claimed "He's the King of the Hype"). This duo introduced the "shiny suit" and popularized Hammer pants to mainstream America, as seen in videos such as "(Hammer Hammer) They Put Me In A Mix", in which Hammer also claimed Too Big was the "King of Hype" and in an unspoken competition with Flavor Flav (hype man for Public Enemy) during the height of their careers.

Hammer also established a children's foundation, which first started in Hammer's own community, called Help The Children (HTC was named after and based on his song by the same name which included a music video with a storyline from his film Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie).

A Sesame Street segment features Elmo taking on the persona of MC Hammer; nicknaming himself "MC Elmo" and along with two backup singers they rap a song about the number five called "Five Jive".

In 1994, British TV presenter Mark Lamarr interrupted Hammer repeatedly with Hammer's catch phrase ("Stop! Hammer Time!") in an interview filmed for The Word, which he took in good humour. He claimed Hammer was a "living legend". It was also within this interview that Hammer explained the truth about his relationship with "gangsta rap" and that he was merely changing with the times, not holding onto his old image nor becoming a "hardcore gangsta". By some accounts, this change contributed to his decline in popularity.

In 2005, Hammer appeared in a commercial for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company which made a humorous reference to his career. First he is shown in his distinctive clothing with his dance troupe performing "U Can't Touch This" in front of a mansion representative of his former house with a monogram H on the gable. Then there is silence and a screen card saying "Fifteen Minutes Later" appears with a view of Hammer sadly sitting on the curb in front of the same house as a crane removes the monogram H and tow trucks pull away sports cars that were parked in front. After a large "Foreclosed" sign appears, the voiceover said "Life comes at you fast. Be ready with Nationwide!"

In 2006, M.C. Hammer's music catalog (approximately 40,000 songs) was sold to the music company Evergreen/BMG for nearly $3 million. Evergreen explained that the collection was "some of the best-selling and most popular rap songs of all time." Speaking for Evergreen Copyrights, David Schulhof stated the songs "will emerge as a perfect fit for licensing in movies, television shows, and corporate advertising." According to VH1, "Hammer was on the money. Hit singles and videos like "U Can't Touch This" and "Too Legit To Quit" created a template of lavish performance values that many rap artists still follow today."

In March 2009, Ellen DeGeneres made plans for Hammer to be on her show (The Ellen DeGeneres Show) after he contacted her via Twitter.

Hammer continues to give media interviews, such as being a guest on Chelsea Lately (June 16, 2009), where he discussed his relationship with Vanilla Ice, his stint on The Surreal Life, his show Hammertime, his family, his mansion, about him being in shape, his positive financial status and other "colorful topics" (subliminal jokes) regarding his baggy pants.

In 2010, Rick Ross released "MC Hammer" from the Teflon Don album which samples Hammer's "2 Legit 2 Quit".

To celebrate Hammer's 50th birthday, San Francisco game maker Zynga offered up some recent player's Draw Something drawings from his fans. Other sources/services offered "props" on behalf of his special occasion and to show appreciation for his memorable persona/gimmicks used during the peak of his career.

In 2012, Slaughterhouse released a single called "Hammer Dance", along with a video. "Hammer Dance" was the lead single from the Welcome to: Our House album.

During the 2013 Oakland Athletics season, the "2 Legit 2 Quit" music video played on the Diamond Vision in between innings, usually during the middle of the 8th inning. The video featured prominent players from the San Francisco Bay Area's sports championships, such as former A's players Jose Canseco and hall of fame inductee Rickey Henderson.

Influences and effect

M.C. Hammer's career in rap and entertainment has influenced and been influenced by such artists as: Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, James Brown, Prince, Michael Jackson, Kurtis Blow, Earth, Wind & Fire, Rick James, Doug E. Fresh (who joined Hammer's Bust It Records label in 1992 and issued the album Doin' What I Gotta Do with the track "Bustin' Out (On Funk)" sampling the Rick James single "Bustin' Out") & The Get Fresh Crew (Barry Bee and Chill Will), Run-DMC and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

Hammer was followed by related musicians: Will Smith, dc Talk, BB Jay, Diddy (aka "Puffy" or "Puff Daddy"), Young MC, B Angie B, M.C. Brains, MC Breed, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, C+C Music Factory, Mystikal, Bell Biv DeVoe, Kris Kross, Ho Frat Hoo! and Oaktown's 357.

Hammer also influenced the music industry with pop culture catchphrases and slang.

Some critics complained of a lack of originality in Hammer's early productions. Entertainment Weekly described "U Can't Touch This" as 'shamelessly copying its propulsive riff from Rick James ("Super Freak"). Hammer admits, "When I look at Puffy with a choir, I say, 'Sure that's a take-off of what I do."

Notable feuds/beefs Hammer had with other rappers include: LL Cool J, Vanilla Ice, Too Short, Redman, 3rd Bass, Jay-Z, Eminem, A Tribe Called Quest and Run-DMC. Several diss tracks were featured on The Funky Headhunter.

Award recipient, appearances and recognition

Throughout the years, Hammer has been awarded for his music, videos and choreography. He has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. He has won three Grammy Awards (one with Rick James and Alonzo Miller) for Best Rhythm and Blues Song (1990), Best Rap Solo (1990) and Best Music Video: Long Form (1990) taken from Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie. He also received eight American Music Awards, a People's Choice Award, an NAACP Image Awards and the Billboard Diamond Award (the first for a hip hop artist).

The International Album of the Year validated Hammer's talent as a world-class entertainer. Additionally, Hammer was also honored with a Soul Train Music Award (Sammy Davis, Jr. Award for Entertainer of the Year) in 1991. He has also been a presenter/performer at Soul Train's Music Awards several times, including The 5th Annual Soul Train Music Awards (1991), The 9th Annual Soul Train Music Awards (1995) and Soul Train's 25th Anniversary (1995).

Hammer appeared on gospel music's Stellar Awards show in 1997 and spoke of his renewed commitment to God. In the same interview, he promised to unveil the "second leg" of his career.

In the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, Hammer made a surprise appearance in the middle of the show with best friend Jermaine Jackson.

On June 12, 2008, Hammer gave his support to Warren Beatty by attending the 36th AFI Life Achievement Awards. In August 2008, at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships, Hammer won a Living Legends of Hip Hop Award from Hip Hop International in Las Vegas.

Hammer, Gary Vaynerchuk, Shaquille O'Neal and Rick Sanchez (host) celebrated the Best of Twitter in Brooklyn at the first Shorty Awards on February 11, 2009, which honored the top short-form content creators on Twitter. In September 2009, Hammer made the "accomplishment appearance" in Zombie Apocalypse for the downloadable Smash TV/Left 4 Dead hybrid for the Xbox 360. Hammer attended the 2009 Soul Train Music Awards which aired on BET November 29, 2009.

On January 5, 2010, Hammer (along with Alyssa Milano and others) was a member of panel judges for the Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences at the Second Annual Shorty Awards. On October 2 (televised October 12), Hammer opened the 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards performing "2 Legit 2 Quit" in Atlanta along with Rick Ross, Diddy and DJ Khaled (all performing together during "MC Hammer" from the Teflon Don album as well).

With over 2.6 million Twitter followers in 2010, his contribution to social media and as a co-founder of his own Internet businesses (such as DanceJam.com), Hammer was announced as the recipient of the first Gravity Summit Social Media Marketer of the Year Award. The award was presented to him at the 3rd Annual Gravity Summit on February 22, 2011 at the UCLA Covel Commons.

At the 40th American Music Awards in November 2012, Hammer danced to a mashup of "Gangnam Style" and "2 Legit 2 Quit" along with South Korean pop star Psy, both wearing his signature Hammer pants. The collaboration was released on iTunes. The performance idea with Hammer came from Psy's management. They both performed it together again on December 31, 2012 during Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

Hammer received the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement (not to be mistaken for the Gershwin Prize), presented during the UCLA Spring Sing in Pauley Pavilion on May 17, 2013.

Tours and concerts

Notable tours and concerts include: A Spring Affair Tour (1989), Summer Jam '89 (1989), Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em World Tour (1990 & 1991), Lawlor Events Center at University of Nevada, Reno (1990-2017), Too Legit World Tour (1992), Red, White, and Boom (2003), The Bamboozle Festival (2007), Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (2008–2013), McKay Events Center with Vanilla Ice (2009), Illinois State Fair with Boyz II Men (2011), MusicFest (2012), Jack's Seventh Show at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (2012), Kool & the Gang Superjam at Outside Lands (2014) and Hammer's All-star House Party Tour (2019).

Discography

Feel My Power (1986)

Let's Get It Started (1988)

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em (1990)

Too Legit to Quit (1991)

The Funky Headhunter (1994)

Inside Out (1995)

Family Affair (1998)

Active Duty (2001)

Full Blast (2004)

Look Look Look (2006)

DanceJamtheMusic (2009)

[ledenews]

Wheeling Fire Department Releases 2023 Statistics

The Wheeling Fire Department released its annual statistics for 2023 today. All departmental incidents for the last year totaled 7,512 – a 10% decrease from the prior 12-month period. “After a record-breaking year in 2022, we saw lower numbers across the board, making 2023 a more average year for us,” said Fire Chief Jim Blazier. “Having no major weather-related incidents attributed to a lesser call volume as well as a reduction in structure fires and fewer false alarm calls. Overall, I am proud of our personnel and look forward to serving our citizens in 2024.” Calls for service are categorized in nine areas by the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Code Guide: Fires, Overpressure/Overheat (or no fire), Medical/EMS calls, Hazardous Conditions, Service Calls, Good Intent Calls, False Alarm/False Calls, Severe Weather and Special Incidents. All categories decreased except one – overpressure/overheat by just four calls. Medical/EMS calls – which account for roughly 66% of all departmental-related incidents decreased for the first time in three years. A total of 5,001 calls were recorded for 2023, a 7% reduction from the year before. Fire calls were down about 32% last year but were around the ‘average’ number after seeking a small spike in 2022. (95 in 2023 vs. 139 in 2022). On average, the WFD responds to about 100 fire-related calls a year. Other accomplishments in 2023 included improvements to several fire stations. Major structural repairs were made to Station 2 in North Wheeling and to Station 10 in the Edgwood neighborhood. Station 4 in South Wheeling also had HVAC and electrical enhancements. WFD also welcomed Delta, the department’s first therapy dog in November. This year, the department will be doing significant internet upgrades to all fire stations and accept the delivery of a new rescue truck in the fall. The department also anticipates the completion and opening of its new headquarters, located at the corner of 17th and Wood Streets in East Wheeling sometime this spring. TOTAL INCIDENTS: 7,512 Fire - 95 Overpressure/Overheat (no fire) - 38 Medical/EMS/Rescue - 5,001 Hazardous Condition - 130 Service Calls - 957 Good Intent Calls - 516 False Alarms/False Calls - 768 Severe Weather - 1 Special Incidents – 6 Read the full article

[kemetic-dreams]

ANGUILLA ISLAND: CARIBBEAN PEOPLE OF THE ISLAND OF EEL AND BEAUTIFUL WHITE POWDERY SANDS

Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory or British Dependent Territory in the Caribbean and is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin.

Anguilla, which is inhabited mainly by Africans of mostly West African ancestry was originally the land of the aboriginal Amerindian Arawak (Caribs) people until Europeans sailor Christopher Columbus sited it alongside twin-islands of Kitts and Nevis. It is argued that, Anguilla may have first been discovered by the French in 1564 or 1565, but it was first colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts, beginning in 1650. As at May 2014, the population of Anguilla was estimated at standing at 14,500 people. Out of this number  90.08% are Africans, the descendants of slaves transported from Africa. Growing minorities include whites at 3.74% and people of mixed race (Mulattoes, Amerindians and other ethnic minorities) at 4.65%. The number of white inhabitants are growing as a result of influx of large numbers of Chinese, Indian, and Mexican workers, brought in as labour in 2007 and 2008 for major tourist developments due to the local population not being large enough to support the labour requirements. According to tradition, Christopher Columbus gave the small, narrow island its name (Anguilla) in 1493 because from the distance it resembled an eel, or in Italian, anguilla. It is also possible that French navigator Pierre Laudonnière gave the island its name from the French anguille.

Linguists who are interested in the origins of Anguillian and other Caribbean Creoles point out that some of its grammatical features can be traced to African languages while others can be traced to European languages. Three areas have been identified as significant for the identification of the linguistic origins of those forced migrants who arrived before 1710: the Gold Coast (Ghana), the Slave Coast, and the Windward Coast. Sociohistorical information from Anguilla's archives suggest that Africans and Europeans formed two distinct, but perhaps overlapping speech communities in the early phases of the island's colonisation. "Anguillian" is believed to have emerged as the language of the masses as time passed, slavery was abolished, and locals began to see themselves as "belonging" to Anguillian society.

The European discovery and naming of Anguilla is often credited to French explorer Pierre Laudonnaire who visited the island in 1565, though according to some it had been sighted and named by Columbus i Since the early days of colonisation, Anguilla had been administered by the British through Antigua, with Anguilla also having its own local council. In 1824 the and famine, the settlers kept hanging on. In 1744 Anguillans invaded the French half of the neighbouring island of Saint Martin, holding it until the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748). During continuing struggles between the British and the French for control in the Caribbean, the French made further attempts to invade Anguilla in 1745 and 1796 but these failed. It is likely that some of these early Europeans brought enslaved Africans with them. Historians confirm that African slaves lived in the region in the early 17th century. For example, Africans from Senegal lived in St. Christopher (today St. Kitts) in 1626. By 1672 a slave depot existed on the island of Nevis, serving the Leeward Islands. While the time of African arrival in Anguilla is difficult to place precisely, archival evidence indicates a substantial African presence (at least 100) on the island by 1683. Attempts were made to develop Anguilla into a plantation-based economy employing slaves transported from Africa, but the island's soil and climate were unfavourable and the plantations were largely unsuccessful. Slaves were permitted to leave the plantations and pursue their own interests, and, with the British abolition of slavery in the 1830s, many plantation owners returned to Europe, leaving Anguilla's community consisting largely of subsistence farmers and fishermen of African descent. At this time Anguilla's population is estimated to have fallen from a peak of around 10,000 to just 2,000.

African Diaspora In Anguilla The Anguillian population is largely of African descent, their roots dating back to the mid-1600’s when distant ancestors were brought over by British colonists to work on the plantations there.  Over the years, attempts were made to grow a variety of crops, including rum, sugar, cotton, indigo, fustic and mahogany, but the arid conditions of the island made the plantation economy difficult to sustain. Many of the British settlers eventually left for other destinations.  The African slaves were given permission to maintain their own self-sustaining food plots, in addition to the crops they tended on the plantations .

This created a level of independence long before the official emancipation of slavery by the British on August 1, 1834. By 1838 all slavery on Anguilla had ended and Anguilla became a peasant society living off the land and the sea – a hardworking independent people who now owned the land they lived on.  Harsh economic conditions followed for nearly a century, but the people of Anguilla resisted all attempts to relocate them to other Caribbean islands.  By the 1900’s many of the islands inhabitants would leave Anguilla for work on neighboring islands like Santo Domingo and Aruba, sailing off in their boats to return weeks or months later, as they sought to provide for their families. Today, there is little evidence of Anguilla’s legacy of slavery and plantation living.  The Heritage Collection Museum houses artifacts that showcase both the harsh conditions and the ingenious and inventive ways in which the people of Anguilla coped and created tools for survival by engendering a unique way of life that they called “the jollification”. The Wallblake House, and the Warden’s Place in The Valley are the only plantation houses that remain intact, and are available for guided tours.

There is even less evidence of the time of slavery, although Miss Margerie’s House, located across the road from the Warden’s Place in The Old Valley, has the former slave quarters attached to it. What is left is a culture of independence, pride and resilience born out of the love, loyalty and conviction of a people determined to survive with little help from the outside. Each year, on the first Monday of August, J’ouvert Morning celebrates the anniversary of the British Emancipation Act and kicks off the Caribbean’s biggest and best Beach Party.  Visitors are welcome to join the fun as thousands of happy carnival revelers dance through the streets of the capital on their way to Sandy Ground/Road Bay for a full day and night of barbecues, boat racing and pulsating calypso rhythms.Even today, with Anguilla’s elegant hotels and restaurants, high profile visitors and world-class amenities, the island’s principal industry leaders remain committed to sustaining Anguilla’s traditions, culture and personality, a personality that is celebrated in the words of the national motto: strength and endurance.

[albionscastle]

We’ll Meet Again - Chapter 12

It’s been a long time coming I know, but I’m feeling Collins again even though I’m working 60+ hours a week (soooooo tired).

For this chapter we have a reunion between husband and wife, a new friend made and a cute moment.

There are mentions of Holocaust themes such as camps and ghettos as well as missing families and the idea of impending extermination.

The book she is reading is The Time Machine by H. G. Wells.

MASTERLIST

WE’LL MEET AGAIN 12

HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN?

Christmas came and went, spent in a bomb shelter even though the bombs didn’t fall that day by some miracle. Jack was able to spend a few hours with you at the boarding house before returning to duty, all puffed up and chuffed at his impending fatherhood. You couldn’t have loved him more than in the moment you told him you were pregnant and his face had lit up. You’d been afraid to tell him, deep down you had thought he would run, he wouldn’t be the first. London was rife with young women, expecting, waiting for a lover who wasn’t coming back. Not every young soldier was a good man.

But yours was.

There were more letters than usual, often several arriving at once due to the mail delays. As the new year began and the conflict was no closer to finishing almost every one of Jack’s letters were imploring you to leave the city and go to his parents. You were tempted, London wasn’t safe you knew it, but it was close to Jack and you felt as though you couldn’t just leave the other girls. In the end you agreed to wait until the baby came and then you would go to Scotland. What little time you could spend with him until then you would make the most of, knowing that it could be some time before he got enough leave to go North.

There was no end in sight to the war, it was 1941, the second full year of conflict and it seemed like there was a new casualty list daily, the list of names endless. You remembered the talk about the Great War, how whole villages had their men wiped out and you could suddenly see how that had been possible. But even the old timers were spooked by this one, the rumors and stories coming out of Germany and Poland were terrifying. The last conflict had been war, this was something more, something else, something sinister and evil.

You sat on the corner eating your lunch after working for the Red Cross all morning. Another bombing, more injured, more dead. While not immune to the sight of it you were at least acclimated enough that you didn’t cry or vomit each time you carried off someone’s mangled body. Although you wanted to. There was a pile of rubble in the middle of the street, a group of young children who hadn’t been evacuated yet were playing on it while some older folk watched. It still amazed you how there were still pockets of hope and laughter in the city, normality in the face of so much destruction and death.

“This seat taken?”

You looked up into the face of an elderly man, one of the Jews who populated the East Side. His black jacket was worn in places and very old fashioned, but his smile was wide and his eyes kindly. You gestured for him to join you, offering him half your sandwich with a smile.

“Nice to see em playing about.” he remarked, declining the food politely.

“We see a pile of bricks, they see a castle.” you laughed softly. “You have to love the imaginations of children.”

“And the hope of them.”

For a moment you sat in silence, watching them, your mind wandering to your own child. In your thoughts you saw a blonde head of hair ducking in and out of the rubble, heard a higher pitched version of Jack’s laughter. The fact that you could picture your child in this place, in this condition terrified you. Would the war even be over by the time they were old enough to run around with other kids? Would there even be children left in London after all was said and done? So many had been evacuated into the countryside, their parents many times sadly victims that you and the others pulled out of the wreckage. You wondered if their children even knew they were dead. It broke your heart to think of it.

“They take the children in Germany too, don’t they?” you whispered, almost not wanting to hear the answer.

The old man nodded sadly, never taking his eyes off the kids in the street.

“My family is in Poland, the last I heard they were all rounded up and put into ghettos. It didn’t matter if they were babes or 100 years old. Jews are illegal to the Nazis.” he spat the last word in loathing.

“You’ve not heard anything since?”

“Not since November, no. I don’t expect to. I fear it will only get worse. Today its ghettos, yesterday it was encouraged emigration. My son thought it would pass, so they stayed. I am only here because I married an Englishwoman after my Sarah passed. We had talked about going to Poland before all this started.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to upset you. It’s just the rumors coming from over there…” you trailed off.

“Are all true, I’m afraid. We should talk about it, we all should so that the world knows what is happening to us. They have started putting us in camps, they call them work camps but I fear…” he swallowed hard. “What is left to do with people who are, in their words, not people but animals?”

The answer was left unspoken, the reality of what could happen to these people was too horrible to even contemplate. Others had talked about it, you had overheard some soldiers talking about how the Nazis were gearing up to “put them down”. Like animals. They had laughed, like it wasn’t anything big to think of but the idea had stuck in your head. These were people, human beings that were being treated like animals, worse than animals, because Hitler deemed them to be “illegal”. You couldn’t comprehend the kind of mindset it took to consider humans that way. And you also wondered what the rest of the world was going to do about it.

“I think it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.” You admitted sadly, not knowing what else to say.

“I fought in the last war, 37 years old and I was straight off to enlist, we fought for the Russians back then. Thought we were on a grand quest to make the world a better place. Took two bullets over four years and watched seven of my friends from home die in the trenches. I always believed we were doing it because we had to, because when we were done the world would see and not make the same mistakes again.”

“The war to end all wars.” you murmured.  “My dad went on his 17th birthday, lied about his age to enlist. He and my mother were sweethearts since childhood. She said he was never the same.”

“No one came back the same, and no one will this time. Even you, you are changed by what you are experiencing here. You have lost people, yes?”

“Margot, she was my friend. A bomb landed right on her in the middle of the day, I saw the whole thing. And she had lost her fiance in France.”

“And your husband?” He looked at the ring on your finger. “Where is he?”

“He’s RAF, a fighter pilot. He was at Dunkirk.”

“This kind of evil, it touches everything, leaves nothing unstained. Your man, he kills and he does it because he has to. You try to save, because you have to but you would kill, for the same reason, yes?”

“Yes.”

“And I killed, many young men, many mother’s sons, because I had to and I never can forget it. I ask for forgiveness every day of my life. I was never a violent man, I am a botanist, but if you put a man in a German uniform in front of me now and gave me a gun, I would kill him. I wouldn’t hesitate. I wouldn’t ask for forgiveness. That is how it has changed me, this time.”

“I don’t think many would fault you for that, considering.”

“Except those many people the world over who also agree that Jews are not humans. The world sits and waits, watching to see what will happen, trust me they will not intervene until what happens to us affects their interests.”

“Even if they start killing?”

“Start? Young lady they have already begun killing us, for years they have. All that is happening now is that they are speeding up the process.”

Tears welled in your eyes at the thought of it. In the grand scheme of things you had it easy. This man’s whole family’s fate was unknown, a whole race of people were being imprisoned for their blood and for no other reason. Children too, locked in ghettos and cages, their whole lives stolen from them.

For what? What was it all for?

“I’m so sorry.”

“It is not your fault.”

His lined hand patted yours, squeezing your fingers.

“I had meant to simply say hello and sit for a minute, I did not mean to upset you.”

“Please,” you implored, wiping your eyes. “Don’t say that, you are entitled to be angry. I’m glad you sat down, no one else talks about it. Everyone wants to pretend it isn’t happening, that nothing exists outside this island. I don’t want to be that person.”

“What is your name?”

You told him your name, told him Jack’s and for a while you told him the story of how you met and fell in love. He laughed at stories from the boarding house, especially your landlady’s ability to turn any moment into a party. He told you in turn of his Sarah, their only son Samuel and his wife Elsa and their children. Samuel was or at least had been an attorney and the cantor at their temple, he was a good, kind man according to his father, but naive in his belief of the inherent goodness of man. It was something they had debated many times. It was that belief that had led him to stay in Poland long after they should have tried to escape.

You learned how, after Sarah’s death some ten years ago, your new friend Jacob had come to England for work and met Mary, a widow who became his close friend. Over the years the friendship had grown until they married finally three years previously, allowing him to stay in England. It was Mary who had procured visas for the rest of the family and her sadness at what had happened was acute.

As the sun went down and the chill sharpened in the air you walked Jacob to his street, promising to go straight home after and to come visit as soon as you were able. Your heart was heavy as you walked away, your mind in turmoil. The whole story made it onto the page as you wrote to Jack that night, including your soul wrenching sadness at what was happening on the Continent. For once you held nothing back, pouring onto the paper your conflicting hopelessness at the state of the world and your unrelenting joy with him and your unborn child. You felt so guilty stealing even a moment of happiness when Jacob’s whole family, and so many countless others were suffering so greatly.

Oddly it was Mary rather than Jack who was able to make you feel less so. Jack’s letters, while admitting that the stories were seemingly true and worsening, were full of love and hope, talk of your future, of a life after the war. You loved it, loved reading and imagining it, dreaming of the days when you would finally be together. The way he described his home you could see it so clearly, the mountains and the mist, the valleys, the stone houses. He was so ready for it to begin and so were you, but you couldn’t escape the black cloud that hung over you, the knowledge that you had the possibility of a future that so many people were being robbed of.

What you never told Jack in your letters was how that guilt and horror at what was happening made you cry yourself to sleep at night as much as his absence did.

As winter drew on, edging toward spring you found yourself at Jacob and Mary’s often, especially once she started brewing you her special tea for morning sickness. Mary swore up and down that it was the tea that had gotten her through five pregnancies without even a day in bed being sick. You weren’t one hundred percent sure of it, but it actually seemed to work and she did love fussing over you like a mother hen. It was Mary who had sternly told you one day, as you all sat in their basement, that it was right and proper to grieve the situation on the Continent, that to be horrified and aching for the Jewish people was the mark of a good and caring human. But she also said that the suffering of others shouldn’t make you lose hope and joy, because otherwise what was the point of fighting? What was the point of living if you couldn’t be happy, that each person on the earth was put there to live and that the ability to do so amidst so much suffering meant that humanity was worth fighting for. You saw her point and the guilt at least eased, if not the sadness.

As the months dragged on you saw the sadness in Jacob’s eyes too, each day without word from his family hurt him more and the moments of laughter that you had experienced when you first met were fewer now as the hope for their survival dimmed. Still, he told endless stories of them, and Mary of her children, two of whom hadn’t survived the Depression. Her three remaining daughters were all married with families of their own and each of them had asked for their mother to go to them. But Jacob wouldn’t leave the last place his son knew to look for him, and Mary wouldn’t leave Jacob.

In March Jack was transferred to RAF Feltwell, a newer Air Force base located in Norfolk almost two hours away. He was given three days leave before he was to report for his new duties and to say that you were devastated was an understatement.

“I wish you weren’t going.” you sighed as he hung his jacket in your wardrobe the first day.

“Aye love, me too, but I haf tae go where I’m ordered. They need me there.”

“Doing what?”

You saw the look on his face, even though he tried to hide it. Whatever it was he didn’t want to tell you. A wave of panic wafted over you leaving you dizzy and gasping for air.

“Ye need tae lay down love, come on now there’s naught tae be getting upset about.” Jack helped you to your bed, kicking off his shoes to lay beside you. “They need trained pilots fer the bombers, that’s all.”

He had mentioned this in his letters, or the prospect of one day bombers being sent over the channel. Nothing specific of course, but now it looked like that prospect was a reality. “So you are a bomber pilot now? No more Spitfires?” In your mind the fact that he wouldn’t be a fighter pilot anymore wasn’t exactly soothing.

“Aye, I’ll fly wi a crew o six an all we’ll do is fly over, drop the bombs and leave. Nothin tae it.”

“Nothing to flying over enemy airspace and being under attack constantly, it sounds unbelievably dangerous.”

He pulled you closer so you could rest your head on his shoulder, his hand rubbing your arm gently.

“I’ll no lie tae ye, it’s war lass, anythin I do is goin tae be dangerous, this is no exception.”

Pushing yourself up to sit facing him you looked down at your husband. Trying your hardest not to cry you took him in, from his soft, bright hair to the straight length of his nose every inch of him as precious to you as your own life.

“Promise me…” you sucked in a deep breath before continuing sternly. “Jack Andrew Collins you promise me that you will come back to us.”

Sitting up, Jack wrapped you up in his arms, holding you as the tears fell.

“I mean it Jack, you come back, don’t leave us alone. Don’t be a hero, please, just do your job and come home. Don’t make me live without you.”

He buried his face in your neck, his arms so tight that you almost couldn’t breathe.

“I’m comin back tae ye, love. I promise. I swear I’m comin home.”

Jack held you like that until after the sun went down, until you were forced downstairs to eat, him holding your hand and gently lecturing you about taking it easy with the baby on the way. He knew you well enough by now not to tell you to stop your Red Cross work, only to tell you to be extra careful. You had already scaled back your duties as you started showing so you were one step ahead of him there. Later he admitted that he felt a little useless, all things considered, you already had so much under control and you didn’t really need him.

“You’re right Jack.” you said from the bed as you watched him change. “I don’t need you, I’ve always been able to take care of myself. But I don’t want to. I want you and I want us, that’s a big difference.”

Jack chuckled, climbing under the covers to spoon you against him, rubbing his stubbly chin against your shoulder.

“Ye think ye will see tha way in twenty years? When I’m no the handsome, fit man I am today?”

Giggling, you snuggled closer to him, lacing your fingers with his.

“You’ll always be handsome to me, Jack. I’m the one who’s going to get all fat and out of shape.”

“Nay, lass yer pregnant no fat and besides well be goin walkin every day so as we donna let ourselves go.”

You could feel him snickering.

“What about in the winter? Are going to go walking in the snow?”

“I’m sure we can think o summan tae do tae stay active during all those long,” his mouth pressed against your shoulder, “dark,” your neck, “nights.” his teeth grazed your ear sending a familiar, warm tingle down your spine.

Turning in his arms you pushed Jack until he was on his back and you straddled him, leaning down to kiss him hungrily.

“I say we start going through ideas right now.” you murmured against his skin.

Three days wasn’t nearly enough time, but you and Collins made the most of it. Most of the time you spent alone, everyone understood why and you weren’t interrupted. You walked over to see Jacob and Mary, eager to have them meet the man you had told them so much about. Jack and Jacob were instant friends, the camaraderie between them apparent from the get go. You didn’t even mind that the two men spent the whole day chatting while you and Mary made dinner and looked at each of them fondly from across the room. When you left, Jack was full of admiration for the elderly man, expressing his hope of seeing a lot more of the couple in the future.

“I feel awful about his son,” he admitted.”I canna imagine knowin what’s happenin there and bein helpless to save them. Not knowin is the hardest part.”

You knew, from the sombre look on his face that he was thinking of Farrier, his friend who’s fate after Dunkirk had never been determined. You couldn’t imagine not knowing what had happened to someone and imagining the very worst.

The last day, he had to leave that night for Norfolk so that he could report the next morning, you spent in bed. Neither of you felt hungry enough to go get breakfast, even though Jack scolded you saying you needed to feed the baby at least. You managed to distract him from that train of thought. Later, after a bath and a sandwich or two you sat against the pillows on the bed, Jack’s head in your lap as he gazed up at you, his ear pressed against the small swell of your stomach.

“…The air was free from gnats, the earth from weeds or fungi; everywhere were fruits and sweet and delightful flowers; brilliant butterflies flew hither and thither. The ideal of preventive medicine was attained. Diseases had been stamped out…even the processes of putrefaction and decay had been profoundly affected by these changes.”

Your fingers threaded absentmindedly through his hair as you read, his fingers reaching up from time to time to brush your arm, or your face before returning to rest on his stomach.

“Social triumphs, too, had been effected. I saw mankind housed in splendid shelters, gloriously clothed, and as yet I had found them engaged in no toil. There were no signs of struggle, neither social nor economic struggle. The shop, the advertisement, traffic, all that commerce which constitutes the body of our world, was gone. It was natural on that golden evening that I should jump at the idea of a social paradise. The difficulty of increasing population had been met, I guessed, and population had ceased to increase.”

You read him the entire book, taking delight in his almost childlike enjoyment of such a simple pleasure. Time ceased to exist for those few hours and you saw your future clearly, a child lying between the two of you as you read until they both fell asleep. It was a future you wanted so badly that it almost hurt to think about it.

Before he left, you made love one last time, savoring the slow, gentle slide of his skin against yours, the feeling of his mouth against your lips and the overwhelming feeling of being held tightly in his arms. Jack kissed your tears away when you cried, let you help him dress when it was time and didn’t even try to tell you to buck up.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. And I’ll write every day, I promise.” he punctuated his words with kisses as he hugged you goodbye. “Jus stay safe an take care o yerself and our girl.”

“You’re sure the baby is a girl then?”

“Aye, an she’ll look like ye and I’ll be the most envied man in Ballachulish wi ma two princesses on ma arms.”

“What if it’s a boy?”

‘Same goes.” Jack shrugged, grinning down at you. “As long as I have ye, I’ll be the luckiest man in Scotland, and our bairn will be the luckiest kid tae haf ye as a mum.”

“And you as a Dad, Jack. It’s us who are lucky.”

Jack’s hands cradled the back of your head as he kissed you again and your arms wrapped around his waist, locking so that you wouldn’t have to let him go.

“Let’s say we are both lucky, shall we?”

“I love you Jack Collins.”

“And I love ye Y/N Collins.”

You had to watch him walk away, as much as it hurt you had to watch, waiting until he got to the corner and lifted his hand to wave goodbye. With tears streaming down your cheeks you waved back, even when he turned the corner and vanished out of sight. For the longest time you stood there, staring at the spot where you had last seen him, willing him to reappear.

When would you see him again?

[formerly-rosaline]

About Haley

Full name: Haley Emmanuella Vasquez

Date and place of birth: August 17, 1987, Arroyo, Puerto Rico

Gender: Trans woman

Height: 6' even

Weight: 142 lbs

Baptismal and confirmational name: Francisco Onesimus Nonnatus Emmanuel García de Vasquez

Legal deadname: Immanuel Carlos García

Parents: Camila Paola Vasquez de García (née Rodriguez, born 1972), Luís Carlos García de Nakamura (born 1962)

Siblings: a twin, Diego Pierre García

Relationship status: Separated

First language: Spanish

Second language: English

Third language: Russian

Trying to learn: Taíno, an extinct language since the 1800s, to communicate better with her ancestors

Ethnicities: Taíno, Japanese, African American (predominantly West), colonizer, Japanese and Indian - she took a DNA test and despite being 100% that bitch she is also:

33% African - West (Benin, Nigeria, and Togo)

7% Spanish

25% Japanese

20% Indigenous Americas - Taíno

10% Indian

4% South African

1% Indigenous Americas - Yucatan Peninsula

Employment: former fuller service sex worker, current limited service sex worker (dancing and creating content predominantly), drug and arms deals - wants nothing more than to be a museum curator or coffee roaster, or both

Disorders: major depressive, gender dysphoria

Species: succubus, vampire

Religion: formerly devout Roman Catholic, currently Yoruban Lucumí/Santería

Favorite musical artists: Beyonce, Lizzo, Cardi, Daddy Yankee, Pitbull, Princess Nokia

Bio: Born the baby, always the baby.

Haley was born at precisely midnight on August 17th, giving her a different birthday than her twin. It was only the beginning of their differences. Their father was completely unknown to them for the majority of their lives, although they found him - and their siblings, including a Luís Junior - on Facebook. Needless to say, after years of him being a deadbeat, they didn't slide in his DMs or shoot him a FR. He had groomed their mother, after all. She was nearly a decade younger, and he left the second she got pregnant. He was an adult and knocked up a freshman, after all.

By age seven, their mother had saved enough to get them to the mainland. The loss of culture and culture shock was a huge problem for Haley, but Diego thrived. He got along great with his little white friends, throwing away their language and traditions to assimilate. It caused a large divide between the twins. Haley could never stand a colonizer. She told them white boys thank you, next -- til she met the right one.

Raised in Concord of Contra Costa County, California, Haley had a hard time fitting in. People always be touching her hair, insulting her mama's food. Despite being a woman, she'd shave her head just to keep them girls from touching it with their oily ass hands. It made her cry every time. Her mother would curl her hair before she shaved it off for her, and let her doll herself up and play dress up for a while. It helped her heal from the buzzcut.

Haley's mother always supported who she was and told her to live her truth. Diego couldn't stand it. It was just one more thing that made them different. They were identical twins; they were supposed to be exactly the same. To hell with it, though, Haley said - she was a good person and there were two things she'd never be confused for: a man, and a straight.

By age fifteen, Haley was working the streets. She was also falling in love with some dumb as shit, goofy ass, lanky white boy since she was fourteen. He stripped her of all her walls and insecurities and left her whole. Eventually, she became confident in her nose, and her jaggedy ass teeth, and even her afro. The second she got a bag she fixed her teeth though, so how confident was she really? He never considered himself gay just for being with her; he always considered her a woman. They kept their shit on the DL for a couple years because you know how it be. He'd be the school f*ggot, it really do be that way. But nearing their seventeenth birthday, something happened.

Her high school sweetheart never knew Haley was working the streets. He suspected something was up, especially when she was covered in bruises, or worse. He assumed it was familial abuse; the idea she was out there working was unfathomable, especially at her age. He wouldn't believe it when the police came and interviewed him. Insulted and incredulous, he walked out on the interview - and became a suspect, however briefly. Her mother and brother, too, were suspected.

Haley was trafficked on the 9th of August by a client, Vyacheslav Kirillovich Ivankov, she agreed to meet at his home after a few dates. Working the piers had been hell on earth, she'd thought, but that was before she was ripped away from everything she knew and sold into sex slavery. She was now under organized crime control in a child brothel in the Bronx. She quickly befriended a lot of the girls being imported to marry from Russia, learning their language rapidly. She lost many friends along the way. Unbeknownst to her, for a long while, Haley had contracted HIV in the brothel.

Once she had aged out of the child brothel, Haley stayed with the mob. She was too ashamed to return home, and she'd heard what had happened to her loved ones when she'd been taken - her captors had made her watch the news on her disappearance, the trials of her family and friends, how they were suspected - how they thought she left of her own accord. These news reels broke her. She never saw how much she was missed and loved, not for years.

During her captivity, Haley's ancestors reached out to her to tell her they'd been through it too and how to survive. It was from then on that Haley honored the loa and her ancestors through magic, not entirely disowning Christ but finding a way to encompass both Catholicism and Brujería into one. Catholicism was just magic in her head anyway. The sacrifices, though.....

The Russians who held her misgendered her constantly, and on purpose. They pawned her off to all the chasers in town. She quickly grew to hate Europeans more than she knew possible. She kept working their bar - a front for an adult brothel, also full of sex trafficking victims, but all Russian brides - as both a tender and a dancer. She did a hell of a job as both.

It was there that she attracted the attention of her husband. He will remain unnamed, as everything henceforth is far too incriminating. Haley put on a fucking SHOW. She brought her best game for hours on end, every single night. She constantly brought thousands into the house. She was not seeing a damn cent of it, either, which was why she had a side hustle. The bitch never slept. She danced for cheap at an adult store, and she hated every second of it. It wasn't like the bar - with her best friend Brendan, and the free shots, and the being treated like a woman because clients no longer knew her gender unless they clocked her. These clients at the store were all chasers, and she had to watch them masturbate and pretend to enjoy it, or even get off with them if they paid enough. She got paid well enough for it to keep it up, though.

Gentrification was on the verge of ruining her when she met him. All she wanted was to be someone's kept woman, on retainer, on a top floor somewhere in the Upper East Side. He fell for her, and she got more than she could've ever dreamed of. More than money. She got power, and fame, and surgeries, and sneakers, and sports cars, and love. Love. Something she thought she was fucking incapable of. Something taken from her.

He led the racketeering. In fact, it was him who ordered these countless abductions. On all accounts, he'd ruined her life, but he also gave her the best. It wasn't long before she found out he knew her high school sweetheart - by running into him at a party her fiancé was throwing. She still didn't have the heart to tell him everything that had happened, so she let him think she abandoned him. She let him think something was so wrong with him she fled clear across the country into the arms of another man. And she married that man in front of him and never told him otherwise. He still thought it to this day...

But on to the separation. Her husband's brothers weren't invited to the wedding, even though his cunt of a mother managed to make it. Haley never questioned it. She knew not to question him anyway - it was fatiguing, talking in circles. It was a good thing their mutual friend had taught her patience over a decade. Of course, she never told her husband how she knew his friend. He spilled it all drunk, unbeknownst to her, though. That was something that came up in the separation. The main flaws, though, that kept coming up were her depression and her cheating with her husband's younger brother. Haley's husband wasn't considerably older than her, only by a couple of years, but his brother was the same age. Age was irrelevant, though. A strange spark neither could define, a long conversation by the fire and far too much booze, and some seduction on both parts led them to begin an affair.

And so, we pick up where our protagonist left off - fleeing New York in a stolen lemon, for god knows where.

[nytech]

🏳️‍🌈 Celebrate Pride with the NYTA!

Hello NY Techies,

We are in June, and that means we are officially in Pride Month! June is a time to celebrate the vibrant LGBTQ+ community, and its continued fight for equality and inclusion. 2019 is a landmark year, as it is the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, considered one of the most monumental events of  LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. In commemoration and celebration, New York City is proud to host WorldPride and welcomes citizens from around the world to participate in a month long series of events. This special edition of our newsletter is a listing dedicated to the many of the conferences, talks, tours, exhibits and social activities happening in celebration.

Happy Pride and remember to be kind to all! ️💖

Be sure to read on for information on networking, professional, and tech events taking place this month, as well as for a list of exciting events in celebration of Pride!

Tech/Networking/Professional Events. 🌈

**LGBTQ+ Impact Entrepreneurship Forum Tuesday June 4th

Join StartOut New York for an evening panel led by LGBTQ+ impact entrepreneurs and representatives from the UN and New York Economic Development Corporation, with the focus on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

**Celebrate Stonewall’s 50th with LGBTQ+ Professionals on a Rooftop Wednesday June 5th

Out Professionals invites you to a special evening Pride networking event at Midtown’s High Bar New York.

**Out in Tech NY: QTPOC Pride Celebration Wednesday June 12th

Join Out in Tech NY in Brooklyn for a special WorldPride event, celebrating the vibrant QTPOC (queer and trans people of color) community.

**Point Source Youth Conference Monday June 17th – Wednesday 19th

A three-day symposium presented by the National Symposium on Solutions to End Youth Homelessness brings together over 700 national leaders from different sectors to find solutions to end youth homelessness.

**LGBTQ Week Monday June 17th - Friday June 28th

A two-week long series of LGBTQ-focused conferences, symposia, workshops, seminars, and events. **World Pride: Being Seen in the Workplace Tuesday June 18th

A Women’s Breakfast event held by Lower Manhattan HQ, where industry leaders will lead a discussion on workplace diversity, inclusion, visibility and identity from the LGBTQ+ perspective.

**Pride Luminaries Brunch Sunday June 23rd

The Pride Luminaries Brunch is an event honoring business leaders who have made a positive impact on LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace.

Color Your World at These Other Events. 🌈

Pride Walking Tour by Pride Tours NYC Entire Month of June

A comprehensive walking tour that tells the detailed story of the Stonewall Uprising.

Stonewall 50 at New York Historical Society Entire Month of June

The New York Historical Society will be opening two exhibitions and a special installion throughout the month of June in honor of Stonewall’s 50th anniversary: Letting Loose and Fighting Back: LGBTQ Nightlife Before and After Stonewall; By the Force of Our Presence: Highlights from the Lesbian Herstory Archives; and Say It Loud, Out, and Proud: Fifty Years of Pride.

Love & Resistance: Stonewall 50 Entire Month of June

The New York Public Library commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots through a new exhibition, a series of programs, book recommendations, and more.

First Fridays: Black LGBTQ WorldPride Edition Friday June 7th

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture presents its 5th annual First Fridays: LGBT Edition, which celebrates and recognizes materials for and by black LGBTQ individuals throughout history.

Brooklyn Pride 2019 Saturday June 8th

A day of Pride celebrations in the heart of Brooklyn with an entire day of events, including the 5K Pride Run, Multicultural Festival, and the Twilight Parade, New York City’s only nighttime Pride parade!

Yonkers Pride 2019 Saturday June 8th

The City of Yonkers invites you to join its citizens for the 2nd Annual LGBTQ+ PRIDE Celebration, with the PRIDE Festival right in the Downtown area!

Tour & Toast in Celebration of Stonewall 50 Thursday June 6th / Monday June 24th / Thursday June 27th

Join the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project on a 1.5-hour walking tour of Greenwich Village, and learn about the origins of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Pride Changemakers Rooftop: Cocktail Party | Access Labs Thursday, June 13

Show your pride and celebrate diversity in tech, better access to tech education, and an inclusive community on a rooftop with sunset views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

Ascend with Pride: An Afternoon with Friends & Family at FDR Four Freedoms State Park Saturday June 15th

A free WorldPride celebration for all ages that serves as the unveiling of New York City’s largest LGBTQ+ Pride flag, including a special picnic on the lawn.

Public Forum: Queer & Now Monday June 17th

The Public Theater’s Public Forum invites you to an evening celebration of music, prose, poetry, and theatre with LGBTQ+ artists, activists, and organizers.

OutCinema Monday June 17th – Wednesday 19th

A three-day event presented by NewFest celebrating the diversity of voices, perspectives, and commitment within the LGBTQ+ community and its contributions to film.

Free Rooftop LGBTQ+ Pride Party for Up & Coming Professionals Wednesday June 19th

Out Professionals invites you to a free evening WorldPride networking event in the Lower East Side, on the rooftop of The DL.

Quilt: A Musical Celebration Friday June 21st – Sunday June 23rd

A musical based on stories from the NAMES PROJECT AIDS memorial quilt, celebrating and remembering both those who died from AIDS and those who have survived.

Pride on the Beach: Long Island Pride 2019 Friday June 21st – Sunday June 23rd

A weekend long Pride celebration in Long Beach with events including the Pride 5K, Beach Party, and the 29th Annual Pride Parade.

WorldPride 2019 Black Queer Migrants Networking Event Sunday June 23rd

The Black LGBTQ+ Migrant Project and AfroNYC invite you to an evening cocktail event where stories of black LGBTQ+ migrants will be showcased, allowing attendees to network and gain insight on the growing global LGBTQ+ migration crisis.

March for Bronx Pride 2019 Sunday June 23rd

Kick off the 1 Bronx WorldPride Festival with the March for Bronx Pride 2019!

1 Bronx WorldPride Festival Sunday June 23rd

A Pride celebration and event that focuses on the rich diversity and community of the Bronx borough, with local organizations and companies promoting their missions on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.

Human Rights Conference Monday June 24th - Tuesday June 25th

A two-day conference where activists, artists, educators, journalists, policymakers, students, and more come together to engage in a global dialogue on LGBTQ+ human rights.

GameChangers Tuesday June 25th

Join GLAAD at the SVA Theatre for an evening of discussion, celebrating leaders in the LGBTQ+ community and how they have impacted the entertainment industry.

Levity and Justice for All Tuesday June 25th

An evening benefit consisting of standup performances, celebrating LGBTQ women and comedy and supporting Project LPAC.

Trans Equality Rooftop Reception Thursday June 27th

Join the National Center for Transgender Equality and NCTE Action Fund for an evening of networking and action regarding the present and future of transgender rights and equality.

Rally: Stonewall 50 Commemoration Friday June 28th

Join community activists, organizers, politicians, and more for a Pride rally celebrating the Stonewall Uprising.

Two-Spirits & HIV Conference 2019 Saturday June 29th

The Two Spirit Indigenous People’s Association invites you to join it for its 2nd Annual Conference, focused on the TSLGBTQ+ Native American population living with HIV.

Aces & Aros Conference 2019 Saturday June 29th

Aces NYC invites you to a WorldPride conference celebrating both the asexual and aromantic spectrum communities.

YouthPride Saturday June 29th

Register today for a Pride celebration in Central Park aimed at LGBTQ+ teens, young adults, families and their allies.

Harlem Pride 2019 Saturday June 29th

Join a daytime WorldPride celebration in Harlem, which also happens to mark the 100th anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance and the 10th anniversary of Harlem Pride!

NYC Pride March Sunday June 30th

Celebrate WorldPride and the continued fight for civil rights and equality with one of the largest LGBTQ+ Pride marches in the world, alongside over 550 unique marching contingents and over 100 floats.

NYC PrideFest Sunday June 30th

Join NYC’s free annual LGBTQ+ street fair that combines exhibitors, entertainers, activities, and vendors for a day of fun and celebration.

Queer Liberation March and Rally Sunday June 30th

An alternative grassroots Pride rally and march with no corporate floats and no police presence, with the goal of mobilizing the LGBTQ+ community to address social and political concerns.