It's a Friday Nite Lime with OSHAG!

The Organization for Social Health & Advancement

in Guyana & the Caribbean

It’s an OSHAG Hang… Come Lime with us…

Friday, October 30, 2009

9:00 p.m. – 2 :00 a.m.

Green Leaf Café

2414 Snyder Avenue

btwn: Bedford & Rogers Aves., Bklyn

Tickets - $15

Contact us for information and tickets

Lorna @ 646-522-8005 - Maria @ 917-385-6409

Carol @ 347-683-1291 - Barbara @ 718-228-2060

See the events calendar at the website http://www.oshag2.org

Thurday Night Jazz @ Mandeville, NJ's Newest Hot Spot

(Joel Weiskopf Quartet performs at Mandeville)

Joel Weiskopf Quartet Appearing at Mandeville Restaurant

Orange, NJ – October 16, 2009: Mandeville Contemporary Caribbean Cuisine Restaurant is pleased to announce the return engagement of the Joel Weiskopf Quartet on November 12, 2009 from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m., for Thursday Night Jazz .

This is the second appearance for the Quartet which features Weiskopf on keyboards, Donna Cumberbatch on vocals; Greg Tardy on Tenor Saxophone and Jaimeo Brown on Drums.

Mandeville features contemporary Caribbean inspired cuisine and a beautiful, relaxed atmosphere. Mandeville is easily accessible by car using Rte. 280 or by New Jersey Transit with ample parking available and tastes for every palate to enjoy.

Though new to the area, Mandeville’s quickly built a loyal following of patrons who come out to hear the likes of such noted musicians as Bradford Hayes and Tony Smith for Thursday Night Jazz. Sunday Brunch is also another reason to come enjoy Mandeville.

See their website for directions and details at www.MandevilleNJ.com or contact the manager, Roger, at 973-672-2900.

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Outcry Against BET

BET, Why Do You Hate Us?
Monday Jul 6, 2009 – By Zettler Clay




Janita Patrick is a FICTIONAL character.



Dear Debra Lee,

I’m Janita Patrick, a 15-year-old African-American female from Cincinnati. Recently, I watched the 2009 BET Awards and felt the strongest urge to reach out to the program. My family is of the typical middle-class variety; both parents and four brothers. See, I’m a junior in high school (got skipped), so naturally EVERYBODY in my age group watches BET. I’m used to seeing the sagging pants, tattoos, lack of emphasis on reading and respecting women that makes up your videos. People in my class live this out everyday, while teachers tell us that we’re acting just like the people in your shows.

In your shows. That struck me as odd, because I would think that with your show being the primary outlet for black entertainers and musicians, and considering the context of blacks in this country, there’s a social responsibility factor to consider. I would never blame BET alone for the way a great deal of my classmates act and talk and dress. Everybody makes their own choices. However, if anybody is aware of the power of television on impressionable minds, it’s the people running the television operations. If you are not aware, then perhaps you shouldn’t be running the operations.

Guess who watches your network the most? Not those who are intelligent enough to discern foolishness from substance, but those who are barely teenagers, impressionable and believing. It’s awfully cruel to plant seeds of ignorance in fertile minds. You know it’s really bad when the co-founder of BET, Sheila Johnson, said that she “really doesn’t watch it” anymore.

I am constantly fighting against the images and messages put forth on your program. What made you think that it’s okay to bring my classmates on stage to dance behind Lil Wayne and Drake to a song talking about boffing “every girl in the world”? Why does reality train wrecks have to be thrown in our faces? Are you aware of the achievement gap going in inner-city African-American communities? A report from America’s Promise Alliance, a non-profit group started by Colin Powell, recently stated that 47 percent of high school students in the nation’s top 50 cities don’t graduate. This isn’t because of BET per se, but I don’t see any episodes on your show doing anything to counteract this disturbing trend. In fact, your show is a part of this cycle of media depicting us at our worst.

My older brother told me something about profit being the number one goal for every business. I’m not sure I understand what that means, but I do know that your shows have to be entertaining enough to generate viewers, which is how you make your money. But surely our culture is rich enough to entertain without anything extra to “boost” ratings; why the over-the-top foolery? I listen to classmates talk about Baldwin Hills like it’s the Manhattan Project. It doesn’t take much effort to produce a throng of degenerative reality shows, nor does it take much to eliminate socially conscious shows off the air. MTV isn’t much better, but since when does two wrongs ever make a right? It’s one thing for white television shows to depict us in a particular way, but for black television shows to do it is just baffling.

Why do you hate us?

All of the values that my parents seek to instill in me and my brothers seems to be contradicted by a more powerful force from the media, and your show is at the forefront. Your network is the only network that features rap videos and shows exclusively to children of my color. I know that you have no control over the music that the artists put out, but you do have influence as to how you air these videos. I’m sure if a stand was taken to use the talent in your organization to actually crank out thought-provoking entertaining shows and videos, then artists will follow suit.
Being that they need you as much as you need them.

There was one awkward segment in the BET Awards when Jamie Foxx singled out three black doctors-turned-authors, but the introduction was so powerless that many of the viewers had no idea who they were. Had they been introduced as Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins, three brothers who overcame major obstacles to become a success without the use of lyrics that berate women, the sell of substance that destroy communities or through raps about loose gunplay, then maybe my classmates would have come to school talking about more than Beyonce, T-Pain’s BIG ASS CHAIN and Soulja Boy Tell Em’s hopping out the bed.

But they weren’t introduced like that. It seemed like a throwaway obligatory tribute to appease some irritated fans. It missed the mark. Big time. Ask Michelle Obama if she watches BET or encourages Sasha and Malia to do so. Ask President Obama. It’s a reason he is the leader of the free world, and it isn’t because of Buffoonery Exists Today.

You’d be surprised how smart young black children can be with the absence of Blacks Embarrassing Themselves. If your goal is to deter engaged, forward-thinking articulate black minds, then consider your goal fulfilled. It’s hard-pressed to think that your shows are working to promote cultural betterment. However, it’s quite easy to conclude that the destruction of black children through the glorification of immoral behavior and rushed production is by design. Poison is being swallowed by every viewer who adores your network, and the worse thing is, these viewers – my classmates – are not even aware what they’re swallowing.

There is nothing edifying for black women on your show. I don’t judge people who do throng to your programs though; I mean, if a jet crashes in right in front of me, I’ll watch it too. That’s why I don’t flip by your channel… I don’t even want to be sucked in.

I have aspirations of acquiring a law degree and possibly entering the public sphere, so I can counteract conditions in my community perpetuated by the images on your channel. So I should thank you, because in a weird sense, your shoddy programming is the wind behind my back. And it is my hope that I can accomplish my dreams despite BET’s pictorial messages, because Lord knows it won’t be because of them.

Sincerely,


Janita Patrick


Janita Patrick is a fictional character. Luckily for Janita, her heartfelt and articulate letter is a result from a lack of BET. Too many others aren’t as lucky.

http://clutchmagonline.com/lifeculture/feature/bet-why-do-you-hate-us/

A different game of Football for Guyana Native

PENN STATE AT ILLINOIS 2:30 P.M. SATURDAY, WLS-CH. 7
Illinois defensive end from Guyana a fast learner
In just 6 years playing football, he has become a Big Ten starter

Defensive end Clay Nurse hauls down Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor by his facemask at Ohio Stadium. (Jamie Sabau, Getty Images / September 26, 2009)

By Shannon Ryan
Tribune reporter
October 2, 2009

CHAMPAIGN -- Just five years ago, all Clay Nurse knew about playing football was to run as fast as he could and try to flatten the guy with the ball. Six years ago, he didn't even know that.

A native of Georgetown, Guyana -- a coastal town in northern South America -- Nurse traded in cricket and soccer for football once he arrived in Maryland. He made a quick ascent from football novice to being on scholarship at Illinois.

"He had no idea about the game," Nurse's mother, Marcia Leitch, said. "But Clay fell in love with it so much.

"Nurse, a 6-foot-3, 260-pound senior, will be a key part of the defensive line Saturday trying to contain Penn State and quarterback Daryll Clark when the Illinios play their Big Ten home opener.

Both teams will try to re-establish themselves in the conference -- Illinois from a 30-0 blowout at Ohio State and Penn State from a 21-10 upset loss to Iowa.

After playing primarily on special teams the last two seasons and taking a medical redshirt after a shoulder injury as a freshman, the defensive end had two tackles for a loss against Ohio State and a forced fumble against Illinois State.

"Clay probably played his best game (against Ohio State)," Illinois coach Ron Zook said. "I'm really proud of him. He has done a remarkable job. Clay sometimes tried to play his own game and he has gotten more and more disciplined from that standpoint.

"Watching football was a once-a-year experience in Guyana, when the Super Bowl was on TV.

When Nurse was 15, he moved to America with his mother, brother and sister. He started playing football when he was 16 after the High Point High School football coach noticed the new student was pretty big.

Nurse's size helped make up for his limited knowledge.

"I'd look to people on the sidelines and they'd yell to me what to do," he said, laughing.

He had attended a private secondary school in Guyana that he describes as the best in the country. But a teacher there told him he would fail in America because he came from a poor area.

"Most people in my neighborhood are not expected to do much with their life," Nurse said. "I was not expected to go anywhere. (The teacher said) she expected me to come back in a casket. My mom was (angry) when she heard this and said, 'From this day forward you have to prove every single person wrong.'

"His mother pushed Nurse academically more than athletically.

"I didn't want to raise an ordinary child," said Leitch, who raised Nurse as a single mother. "I wanted him to have the opportunity that life and the land of opportunity has to offer. There is a gift from God in Clay and I think football will help that come out of him.

"Nurse remembers her sacrifices and advice.

"Every time I step on the field it's a personal vendetta against all the people who told me I couldn't make it," said Nurse, who's majoring in kinesiology.

Nurse said he doesn't think he's on the NFL's radar yet, but he's not worried about that. He's eager to keep learning.

"I learned on the fly," he said. "Coach Zook reminds me all the time, 'You haven't played that much. I have forgotten more about football than you have learned.' At the same time, he's proud of the progression I've made."

sryan@tribune.com

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-02-illinois-football-oct02,0,1611118.story

HERG Enjoys a Night of Support and Success

Above: Ambassador Bayney Karran brings greetings; Center: 2009 Awardees; Below: Members & HERG Volunteers

By Allison Skeete

Friday, October 2, Queens, NY-- The Health & Education Relief for Guyana Inc.; (HERG Inc.) hosted their annual dinner event recently at the beautiful Terrace on the Park venue in Queens, NY; the proceeds from the event goes back into their work to continue providing medical care, treatment, surgery and follow-up in Guyana. The group makes several trips annually to the country and have developed a following of patients who wait specifically for their care and often show their appreciation with gifts of fruit or something they’ve cooked as a way of saying thank you to a group who seeks no pay for their work.

The evening presented a chance for those new to HERG’s agenda to see their work on video shown throughout the evening. Founder Dr. Wayne Sampson expressed his enthusiasm for the work of the organization he founded when he said… “Tonight crystallizes HERG’s purpose and got more commitments” for support and participation from others. This is just a fantastic night he added, his gratitude and satisfaction were evident as was his passion for this cause that he truly believes in.

The head of the Guyana Nurses Association here in New York, Oswald Billey seconded Dr. Sampson’s words. Trained as a nurse in Guyana he accompanied HERG on a medical mission this past summer to Guyana and said… “although it’s a lot of work it was fantastic to manage five patients who can’t get their needed medication due to the lack of funds or availability of the medications in Guyana”; they are eager to get the medical help we come and provide he said, nothing can make you feel more gratified than to know that what you’re doing in that short trip is so wholeheartedly appreciated. He said he’s ready to go again and that he’s committed to do so as often as he can.

HERG also takes residents and medical students along on their medical missions; for many, it’s a first encounter in a foreign country where they see poverty and lack of daily essentials they take for granted. It’s been an eye opener for them to see the difficulty in just getting around from village to village, the only means to do so is by water, one student volunteer expressed her amazement that when they arrived to begin seeing patients she didn’t expect the number of people who’d shown up; many of whom waited hours to get a number to be seen by the medical team. They have no telephones, cell phones or texting or internet but they obviously got the word and were there for care, she said.

The nights’ event was also held in honor of those whose support here in the U.S makes it possible for them to do the work in Guyana... and as such, the group acknowledged New York State Senator John Sampson, Nakosi Stewart a medical student volunteer, Mr. Charles Corbin and Ricardo Carrion, M.D. posthumously. Guyana's U.N Ambassador, the Honorable Bayney Karran also brought greetings of support for HERG; this support matches the dedication of the organization and the appreciation of their patients in Guyana.

To make a tax deductible contribution to HERG, visit their website: http://hergweb.org/index.cfm