"Man in the Music" by Joseph Vogel S ome philosophies claim that the eyes symbolize such qualities as the gift of prophecy, intelligence, and conscious awareness. In her book Chakra Bible , Patricia Mercier describes the eye “chakras,” or centers of spiritual energy, as those which “feed the brain but can develop to detect extra-sensory information or send healing to others.” That’s a pretty heavy thought. But as heavy as it is, it’s not all that difficult to entertain such luminous possibilities when considering the life and legacy of Michael Joseph Jackson . Why? Because the life he challenged himself to live turned so many dreamed theories––both his own and that of others–– into material reality. It happened while he lived until his death on June 25, 2009 and it is happening now in the year of what would have been his fifty-third birthday. To continue reading please click the following link: Looking at the world through Michael Jackson's left eye (part 1...

Detail from artwork for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's film On the Shoulders of Giants . (courtesy of Union Productions and Iconomy) The celebration of major historic milestones is a favorite pastime in pretty much every culture. This year, 2011, in the United States many are commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War. That means four years from now numerous festivities will take place to observe the same anniversary for Jubilee Day, or the liberation of America’s slaves. In addition, countries around the world are currently honoring the first United Nations-declared International Year for People of African Descent. Flip the calendar forward by almost a decade and we find ourselves approaching another major milestone: the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Harlem Renaissance. To read this article by Aberjhani in full please click the following link : The Approaching 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance

History-making photograph of President Barack Obama with Vice President Joe Biden and other members of the national security team in the White House Situation Room. ( Photo by Pete Souza ) Just before I logged on to check my email and found a request from the Red Room website asking authors to blog about leadership, something interesting happened. I came across a scrap of paper I did not recognize and on which the following quote was typed: Please Continue reading on Examiner.com : President Barack Obama and the message beyond the photograph - National African-American Art | Examiner.com

( Photo of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama by George Burns and Harpo Studios ) Until late Sunday evening on May 1, 2011, the big news in discussions focused on President Barack Obama throughout the weekend was that he and First Lady Michelle Obama were scheduled to appear on the Oprah Winfrey show on May 2. Then TV journalists interrupted regular television broadcasts at approximately 10:45 p.m. with the news that al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had been killed and President Obama himself came on the air about an hour later to confirm the news and provide details on the end of a quest for justice that has taken nearly a full decade to achieve since September 11, 2001. Delivering an address that evoked the unhealed “gaping hole” left in the heart of Americans following 9/11 along with the heightened sense of patriotic unity that followed, Obama made his purpose for being on television at such an odd hour clear from the beginning: “Tonight I can report to the American people and to t...