Check it check it check it. It's a unique house. It's your boy e ceo, and I'm here with the lovely official Mr.. Mako what's going on? Hey, man, hey, man, we over here in Los Angeles man with the best You know what I mean? I love when we rock with the best man. It's going down man Hey, man, stop playing man. Mr. Farmer Melvin Farmers here with us today. I can't believe it Thank you, man. Thank you for coming in man That's what I'm talking about man. So, um, you know, uh, when we when we think about You I went and I start looking researching and I looked on play at first didn't Because that's what y'all something to look on play at you'll see him on the hill now And I looked and it said that you were the original like one of the main guys that started the Crips, wasn't it? Well, I've been around since the West Side Crips started with Turkey Monkey man Jamel, it's just when it was the West Side. That's when it started well on the West Side Raymond Machu then 69 70 on the east side of town. That's the other side of the 110 freeway They were called Crips with two beads back then then Tookie and Raymond watch them merged and James Compton and others and they formed the east side Crips Westside Crips And it start crystallizing from there Till they broke into what they have today known as sets okay a trade gangster now at 19 at 15 and a half I Was a co-founder the a trade gangster Crips at 15 and a half, which is the a trades today. So that's I've been in the game since I was 14. That's I'm 64 now I've been out here in 35 years in prison numerous arrests 35 years in prison. Yeah, how for your life? Yes, wow And that seems to be the pattern in the staple of what we was doing in so As I witnessed it is a survival This violent world because it's very violent. You see the sugarcoated this When you can image and act and talked over the internet and it'll be over in a couple hours That ain't how this go this ain't over with in a couple hours It don't he ain't cut and we just try to bring awareness to senseless gun violence other Things that are affecting our community and try to build up our community. I love that. I love that because I've always Asked for unity. I've always every time when people come on our show whether they rappers or just people who try to make a change and I always say how are you planning to do this because you have some of these young kids out here who feel like they're on top of the World and No matter who you are or what you've been through or what you've done They're not listening. It's like who are you to tell me your time? You owe your time is done Now it's my time. I do what I want to do So like how can you get through to people like that? Well, first of all when you're on the streets Your age doesn't cuz a lot of them don't need to get old in this game That's the first thing and it's a different Standards if you hold yourself up as a man You know, you start a day don't know nothing about the struggle civil rights They don't look up to Jesse Jackson Al Sharpton. They never heard of them But I got guys me and women and children. They call me from all over the world Asking me About their life and their decisions in life and what they should do where they want to hear change So a lot of times these youths are Being listening to older ones that live that life Because they know that they come and they stand in for the truth But what happens is we don't have the resources to give them and help them Uplift themselves So if they look at it and see somebody like me or I told them are and we out here in this struggle because we strictly Grasp roots. We don't get a dime They gonna say well, what can you do for me and they not paying me, right? But you give us the resources where we can be ambassadors because I don't believe nobody in the United States carry more weight when it comes to Knowing the players in this game from all factions audio video print There's nobody that we can't reach out and touch and talk to and create dialogue that otherwise wouldn't even occur Right because we've said that because even in Dallas you said that where When you have people who still go out here to try to make changes You have to also be careful because some people go out here to try to make changes But just to look good on social media they go in different cities and say, okay, I won't change I want to violence to stop but they have all these cameras up and you know just to make it seem like they're doing something good, but they're not Really investing the time and being there when the cameras are not on yeah They boots not around to the ground when the cameras not around and that's the difference a lot of times People are doing the real the work the boots the grunt work, but they don't have a platform To express and give out the information or the things that they're doing to get a community. I've won numerous awards Was involved in the FC hustle LA gangs unite biggie smile a whole lot of civil rights Marguerite Laverne Mitchell amadou Diablo the death row 10 The Howard University student kill Prince Jones. I can name a litany of things. I'm an author but I Try to not talk about me. I don't want to talk to me I like doing and telling my experience where it's not braggadocious It is what it is And give back to the community because of the things that I've done So do you believe that if some excuse me? If you believe do you believe that if there was someone back then who was doing what you're trying to do now and They did that for you. Do you think your outcome would have been different than it? It is now. Well, they did but it created a gap yet the black panthers. I've witnessed them us Organizations to Muslims. They were pro-black. They were standing up for civil rights And they ever the 60s to 50s It's a different era like 50 years now my ever the 70s to 80s But the thing of it is we got our ear to the payment where we right there With everybody where we can relate to what's going on because we're feeling I get shot at just like everybody else I'm still going to jail. I'm already three years poor old I'm still being unfairly treated in the justice system. So I'm a gamut all of them So all of it is painted to me with a brush and we just have to let like we did if we take away Instagram and all that and Let us start telling the stories of how we come up and the things that our parents did and Struggle because the number one deterrent for crime is age As you get older Mellow out I wanted to just ask what just kind of I guess add on or ask about the What you said earlier about I don't know you do you you like you really don't get on You know getting on social media is one thing but without your story, you know I think the younger generation don't get to see what really Caused the thing that because a lot of times your history is what helps you to understand where you're going And you are history when it comes to what happened in LA, right? So in order for us to see that then you have to be on platforms like this The Vlaads all the stuff what these young kids are going because what it does is it injects something some purity in it To show that people do change and that there is a sense of direction in what? transpired in our history Yes, sir, and make it a short into a nutshell falsehood Cannot coexist permanently with the truth on social media a lot of times people tell stories or Tales and there's nobody there to validate it them or challenge them to where they're tell a tale That's all it is. It's a tale and therefore they're being influenced By guys that aren't real representations of the communities or the gangs that they're represent And people get confused When that and we believe that those that are closest to the problem are more likely and not Closer to the solution. Okay, and now you most of the influence on there A lot of them are that people really look up to as these rappers a lot of the music in the stuff That's flowing through those avenues is what's influencing our children. So We have to have platforms to wear some real essence of what really going down That's why I love podcasting because it cuts through and say this is this is it, too This is something that that that can can can you know Music is one thing because these kids are listening to that But then then they jump on listening at our channel and they see in all these different rappers and then boom We hit them with a person like Mr. Melvin former and then they able to they gonna watch it because we know over time But that's a habit forming thing correct. Yeah, but also Every generation has had music R&B to 60s to 40s to do box So we just can't look in hindsight Their music it's no more different than we was talking earlier about in WA It's every 10 years you're gonna get a different genre of music and it comes down to drugs mental health homelessness Being tough these are the images that have been cultivated over the years through the generations of music So we have to let them know that it's a better way that we can make it a different way and also hold people Accountable for the things that they say on social media You have to have an oversight and it have to be some firm rules to where they all apply agree 100% So When in your life did you make this change from the person that you were to the person you are now? Well, and uh, and what happened like what brought that awareness to you? Well a couple of incidents I never read the bible first of all and jail as these this place you can Get a bible they're gonna give you that they're not as a care package but uh in 1994 March 7th that came out with the california three strikes law automatic life sentence And I was targeted to V frame which I wrote a book and I brought it the new slave ship or ship that does not sell And I was arrested with less than Two one point Gram or less or whatever, but at the end of the day I got 25 of life in a 10-year consecutive sentence Although the dope was planted on me So, uh, I was the first one to be released after serving three years in eight months I got a reversal first in the state of california historically and uh Everybody there we on a level four yard and everybody there are lifers Not going home. We in a stand-up casket where we walking into the graveyard And all of them to a man Said uh, homie bring you leave. Don't forget about us And I didn't forget that but I also kept faith because man had tried to take my life But I also had enough sense to know that god had gave me a new life. Right. Well, so I got out and wrote a book I've been doing civil rights 25 years now mentor youths prison ministry coordinator and I still Get in the things because I never worked a day in my life till maybe two years ago I've always been a hustler from ice cream trucks to armored trucks getting mine and One more important thing after I escaped getting a death penalty in georgia that I'm on 83 years This time for once in my life. My mother said uh Don't go to jail And I've been arrested 50 60 times the first time she said She's ever said when I tell my mama. I got a problem. She tells me be careful She don't say don't do nothing and that's from eight and zero But this time she said i'm getting old You got two younger sisters I came forward you to go back to jail and I quit cold turkey. I've been out seven years now So i'm trying to make my mama proud see That's so touching to me because it's like And I love the fact that she didn't say it before because if she said it before and kept saying it You would have took it to heart as much. Well, let me tell you this about my mama She witnessed the crypts And she knew what they were doing My mama read on the wall when I was 15 and a half where somebody wrote Melvin former must die That's when she wouldn't got insurance on me She still got that insurance and the policy haven't been kept to this day So my mother her card on been shot Most guys I did most of them have got three things in common a conviction and murder Some years in prison over 50 60 arrests I don't show my friends because I get inboxes where they hey that man killed my husband.  She did this they did that So I don't put them up. This is a whole different ball game This is the things that you don't hear about If a big ol g get hit they ain't coming to look for them. They come to look for Melvin See how this game go So, you know, I have to know how to avoid these traps And stay in your lane. I don't look at social media. I don't look at nobody podcast So whenever I hear whatever going on in social media whack 106 9 Charleston white in this mob James and that I can go and just call or they call me and tell me about it and then now but nobody called me for money But they'll call me when it's a problem. Wow See and that's guilt by association And that's what happens a lot to me and I know I don't know if you did you just mentioned you mob James and Charleston was just in Dallas on on his podcast and I know you got a phone call It was because of two different agreements, I mean two different ways that two different people done things so When I look at it, I know that both of them had good intentions But out of shadow of a doubt But both live two different lifestyles in two different parts of the world And so when I look at it, I hear all the things and I do I am on social media So I do see the comments, you know what I mean? So how do how do you bridge those gaps when two people are trying to do the right thing and you know both of them? Well, let me put it like this once again I don't look at social media. So when you say what they said I don't know. I don't know what was said I only can go by what's that? No, no, no, no not what I heard It's how somebody treats you And therefore that makes me an unbiased urban analyst. I got it Because if I don't know nothing, I can't speak on it if if nobody brought up none of them. I wouldn't know nothing I don't surf so I don't even look at my show whatever I do. I don't go and look twice Never have I don't look at nothing twice have never looked at no Minutes to society have not read toky books have not read Cody's book I'll stay in my lane because usually what they're talking about I've lived But I know the rules to this game So if I don't know nothing unless somebody tell me I might get a call from Ray Sean That's Raymond Washington, which I did Pretty boy got a call. I told him I got a call Mob James got a call Stag got a call My big got a call I can name them on and on about stuff on social media Where now is the problem So if I don't know nothing that's guilt by association with me everybody gets That I look and wanna I ain't got time for that every day I'm trying to get a hustle and get something to do to make my mama proud Just stay safe and I just stay out the way So I want that to be known. So when you ask me about them I really can't speak on it because I ain't look to listen to it I'm only going by exactly what whoever told me And that's it. Wow I know you say each um you're working to make your mama proud And I I know a lot of people a lot of men are usually mommas boys so um That's what you're doing now But back then when your mom car was being shut up And the reason why I'm asking all of these type of questions because you have young kids out here Who are not thinking about mom who's not thinking about a sister who's not thinking about the dangers of the life Back then you weren't thinking about that Why why not? Oh, I was thinking about that, but it's a big difference My parents didn't know what we were doing They didn't catch on they didn't know That was by the end by the end It was too late They didn't know nothing about us sneaking out the back window It was a revolving door. We was 14 15 16 17 Hey, it it was better Going to jail where you got your own bed sometimes it crowded But everything I always did see I wasn't just a gangbanger I've always We didn't have the things to do identity theft sale dope credit cards All a whole fluctuation of things that you can do to hustle You had to basically go and take it and get it So everything I did I did in the sense that I'm taking this To give my mama better life. See a lot of people I don't rob jewelry stores gave everybody fur Rings and watches fur coats all this But I didn't think of it as hurting my mama because I'm only thinking it's hurting me At that age. So you're right at that aspect 14 15 16 year old I knew I was a basketball player Ranked number one, but it was the choices I made at that time. So in hindsight I feel that the time that I did going to jail It should have been more worth it to be with my mom But see the look in her eyes To her that's her only son and a lot of men mark mom passing every day He's talking and he's reminded it up and he keep her legacy going on So it's a something that you know, it's hurtful and we just try to make our parents proud At least I do I know because that's that's what I always ask because even like in Texas you heard about the shooting with a mode three when mode three god Did you hear that one?  I'm secure. I I can take care of these kids Why don't they think about that? Well Uh the streets the only thing stronger than a man's pride is some others love A man to swallow Every type of pill it is to stay alive But they won't swallow they pride Well, so many men Have lost their pride or lost their life uh to where All they had to do was step back But they chose to go through a Conflict resolution at its most disdain which usually ends up in a death And I I hate that because in my The older I get and this is what I always say on this platform because you you don't ever know who is listening It's always how you perceive something because a lot of these arguments is always caused by You say something and you may not even mean it in a bad way But I perceive it in a bad way. So I'm reacting and it caused and you don't like the way how I reacted You're not saying to me. Well How did you mean it by you know and resolve it in a decent way? That's how miscommunication happens every day even in relationships or friendships or whatever where and we've had somebody on our show who He he he was good friends with um another gentleman and did one got shot And because the other one never reached out to him But he didn't even know that he had gotten shot So he was mad at him because he didn't reach out to him But he didn't even know that he had gotten shot and he wasn't talking to him just because of that Till one day eventually he reached out and he's like, but I didn't know You know, but something simple like that and you're mad at somebody pick up the phone and call just because somebody don't call you Pick up the phone and call and say, hey, did you hear about xyz or you know? And that's how it should be on the internet a lot of guys add a personal disputes on the internet When if you really about that business you can call them up Inbox them and keep that going on But I understand social media and the things that that do because you know Michael conception told me this once and let me say something about mike. He's the most powerful in hip hop Okay, I promise I've been around him since he started in that one of the top you have them those that are faces uh certain Rappers and things now because of technology, but nobody has survived more than michael conception starting with uh We all in the same game teddy ride Lee Russell Simmons That's a whole game and I can name him but you know, he he should be getting this props in a lot of times His name is not mentioned.  No, I'm not eligible to go uh in the prison So how did you affect the prison ministry? Well, I got my friend has a church and I do prison ministry There and other places around when I speak Biblically or about uh a witness because you have to have you just can't go in And preach to somebody on the streets Because they don't appreciate the lord So that message ain't gonna get to them Especially when you're talking about an inner city youth to where most churches Want you to come in on your feet, but they won't let you in on your back In other words when these kids Don't have insurance or nothing and they need a place to be buried in los angeles They want to charge them a arm in the leg to be five seventeen thousand But let magic johnson or a celebrity get killed somebody with money to pay for it. They do it for free So, you know These are the type of things that we try to address and bring awareness to and these youths You just can't think that they're gonna turn their guns in For no concert ticket Or why would they turn their guns in? When everybody else's arm see we got the only race to where We we attack our own where every other race They kill us because of the color of our skin. We only get at each other because of the areas we stay in Well, I when I as I As when you speak What I what I really Think about is the influence and the impact and the people that I feel like in the on the west coast They influenced a lot of people a lot of a lot of young people The the the the kids The the kids pretty much were red and blue Because of what they've seen up here This this thing just happened here and it hit a few towns. This hit the whole some other countries. I'm pretty sure It's on uh Bloods and Crips red and blue are on all seven continents. Yeah, you're gonna have either or and uh You don't have the same dynamics the uh Streets california sets the example for the united states it changed the game But uh back to uh, I didn't answer that about the influence. That's right In uh jail as opposed to the streets well My influence as far as uh influence and those in prison. It wasn't no influence But I did bring awareness to the three strikes law Brought to uh awareness to them being uh incarcerated behind the wall and uh addressing uh Restorative justice and trying to bring these young man home. So by that you need the prison system So if they start getting too far out of line and it jeopardizes these men's in prison freedom They're able to Check them real close and give them a hug.  So a lot of yous Like to hear their history their stories. They might be a blood and call me. Hey, man We like to hear the history How we started this and this and that and I always tell them I I can't influence what you do In your town community state or whatever You just make your own personal decision because for over 50 60 years It's very embedded here in california. This is a culture that is it's it's It's nothing like it I have to ask you this question. I go back to charston because he said something that was dear to me he said that the gang members Would shoot up the kid shoot up the houses and and and then the kid a woman or a child would may get hit and Then that the gangs would pretty much Hide the guy that did this And basically pretty much try to keep him from having to deal with uh being uh You know pretty much protect him from being being Arrested or whatever else he would have to go through because of it Is this something that was a practice or is that just talk now? I'm just that's allegedly now What I can stay on that is once again, you got 60 50 years or this so People like for instance, you hear about people tell stories about crips killing crips Yeah, but when I tell a story you won't hear that So I'm predating that so what is acceptable now they brag about their error That's their error But that's not a reflection of how this started So they need to hear this about how it was to where regardless to what it was it was honorable And it stayed within those it wasn't no drive-bys Shooting up with no oozies.  See in these streets The rules are as of now there are no rules But even starting out when um The organization started you would think and I know that it's spread in all of these different continents But you would think that um Like if I started a group And you wanted to start one over here you had to get like a pass a pass like permission like this is the rules and I would also make send someone over there to make sure that they're abiding by The rules of this organization And not does anybody can start over here and do their own thing and let's wreck the brand because this is the name of the bloods or crepes Isn't that how it should be or isn't that how it was Well, I'm only can speak for the crepes And and the group and my and my personal experience right once again You got evolution. You got every 10 years. So you got grandfathers Grandmothers nieces nephews grandkids. So you got a long list to where That's just fashionable now, but that's not how it was started. It wasn't a lot of people It was no internet. It wasn't a group It wasn't nothing fashionable about it and it wasn't nothing to be talked about It was understood what need to be done What we were doing and what we was about Simple as that right in your area, but once it starts spreading everywhere else You couldn't really control. Well, the difference between the street gang and a prison gang is there's no structure. See crepes There is no one body No one person So there's never been a structure When it come to crepes other than when we were east side west side and company Though then it splintered And now you got them all over The continent the united states So there's not no one supreme ruler Whereas you might have the latin kings. You might have king tongue You might have a John stevens and black felly mob. So those Jeff fort larry hoover they have structure no more different than the arming law enforcement But when it come to a street game There is no structure no chain of command So that could not apply in these rules of war. Let me ask you this just flipping back into my childhood Coming up in the streets, you know, I mean we wore blue Don't know why we just wore it. We was in texas and uh, but my school color was blue So we we wore blue it was not I did not know and my cousin was from quenchall. So we wore blue, you know, but Didn't really understand it But then we look up and right down the street from us in shreveport in the 90s They just start flying out of california coming to shreveport Then then we see this and we see them And now we're riding with them Certain ones that were blue the ones were red. We we're not rocking with them Even though there are some of them that's flying in too. So they came in from california to shreveport Which was 30 miles away from where I was raised up Now I was in the drug game at that time And I only rocked with the guys who was messing with blue And this is how this is how it happened But we saw a lot of killings and a lot of different things on the news and arclatex during that time And it was it got pretty rough and I think I think kuba road right now is one of the places where still stand true to the blue This happened And I don't know what made them start coming down there in the 90s. Do you remember that era? Were you around during that time? I was in mom rowing West Monroe you was in Monroe I was on the run for murder that had happened at a school campus in 76 And my mama sent me to west Monroe. So I know about West Monroe When they had a jukebox where you had to kick at the start And my girl at that time was the only girl in the club and everybody wanted to dance with us I got out of there two weeks Yes, but anyway, uh From my personal experience and I knew some people that were going down there With the transformation of the drug game coming out and then in flux of cocaine And the price was so high because I had a friend named Michael Jardane that married two degrees equivalent of nicky barns or somebody When cocaine was 55,000 the key at that time he married ronda reese And so I got to witness 78 79 eat the basin and uh, they started Shipping out alone with the gang members And they started catching on that was one of the reasons as for its crypts expansion Particularly in Colorado because in the inner cities of Los Angeles Colorado University was getting a lot of use letting them Come out there on a scholarship and they started transporting back the end to ron sherry Now they also a little bit earlier in the 60s Marv can speak to that one day when you interview him It was heron But as far as the cocaine and the gang activity it went hand in hand when they started Flux is waiting from out here because as of the day Everybody wants a plug in california. Yeah, same thing. It's california florida savannah Houston everybody always want a plug from cali and that's always existed And so now that's for us. I'm concerned. It just uh had expanded and uh, that changed landscape of a lot of cities Okay. Yeah, um, I definitely um, I definitely when I look at us coming up at being young and and and we Did not have a clue of why we was doing what we was doing We was I mean a lot of people say yeah, we did I mean, but But it still brought prison and everything else people going to change and flock up with different groups No matter what I believe, you know even so before cripping before you even had associated with crip Where there are section groups of people that hung out and hung together and pretty much that's what they done Well, really before that, uh, it's on the west side. You had cliques groups of men Uh that ran together turkey Uh warlock steve goods Buddha that got killed jesson baycott egg wins ricardo sims bud bud breast and peas melvin hardy monk Uh, uh, uh, joe ransom. You had a lot of guys to where on the west side. We were Into integration 69 70 You could see turkey standing at one end of st. Andrews park and the white folks bowling on the bowling green at the other end So we didn't have no history of uh, like the slogsons the businessmen's the farmers or guys or gangs on the west side There wasn't a lot of older guys at the oldest might be 20 other than that There wasn't a lot of blacks over there because of the uh, integration that was going on. So the west side is uh, unique in that so as they started The juveniles and they started mixing up, uh, henry clay horseman the smacks uh, uh, the cafe boys Those at john me and the junior highs it started to expand and crystallize On the west side then they went and ended up being formed as the west side krips kukes mouths rusty chucky tide uh, uh, uh, oldy shawl oldy gill crest uh elmer jones spy uh, trey ball melvin hardy james miller. I could just name a lot of them that just Was in here early in the game and don't need uh, lost their life where they resting in peace or they resting in pain, you know Yeah, yeah, that's hard man, you know because of all of the stuff that transpired Throughout all those years though And a lot of young people grew up in that and even when I would come out here I wouldn't even I wear black and white or something just to stay, you know what I mean out the way I knew that much, you know, I'm gonna stay out the way I'm gonna go out there. I'm gonna put my black and white on them stay out the way But when I go home, I'm creeping because that's my neighborhood. I'm being that's the way it was I didn't come out here to meet nobody to hang out with them. You know what I'm saying? That wasn't my agenda I mean, but my cousins was doing it hard. They don't cringe out. They were creeping, you know far decent 60 I did not know what that was. I just knew crypt today came and brought it to my attention You know, I was like, what is that? They like the five dudes. I'm like, oh really? But you my cousin so I'm arrived, which we already we're we arrived in the country. We just didn't know, you know I mean and then I'll say this rappers Rappers made it made it fun to wear colors. You know what? I mean they they made a day still to this day have a little In you hidden in you and though about wearing different colors and saying they were different clicks just for for clout That's real. But I'm but When I hear you say all those names I didn't hear a rapper name Mm-hmm. You should I'm just being real. You know, once again, I told you I don't look at social media This is my crew of people who I grew up with that played they do which Basically paid the way for a lot of them or give them the subject and the contents that they even talk about And that's what and then that's what I hear. That's what I hear. I know in If you sitting up on top of a hill Do you think you know what's going on down here where the rats need no, but no somebody telling you correct And then you have the capabilities of putting it in the story. Wow. So once again falsehoods and truth cannot coexist Agreed. Yeah, they're simple as that. Yeah, that that was a That was the one thing and it still stands true today that there is rappers And I know that because I interview them and that's the thing they want they this is not something that They they was jumped in. I don't think they was jumped in. Ain't nobody been jumped in and even during your time I don't know if they were jumped in. They might be just a movie. I don't know Well, I'm gonna put it like this a teller the tape is this If you've got more graduation pictures than mug shots, you need to not even be talking man I'm serious man How you gonna have more graduation pictures than mug shots? But you know that guy. Wow. Yeah, it's a big difference man and once again It's nothing to glamorize A lot of parents Have been hurt Yeah, and it's always two sides on a police report You're gonna have a name that's gonna say suspect Somebody name going there on that police report and then on that other side. It's gonna save victim Wow Now I've been arrested 60 times Wow, I don't want my name on that victim side And that's by any means necessary. Wow, let me let me You know what happened years ago? I go back again, you know when I was in houston, texas I went to the movie theater It was in the 80s And I watched this movie called colors And back then I really this was really the first I seen of it. That was a really the first We didn't see it before that I'm telling you and I ain't seen it yet They wrote a movie When I left out that movie theater Them boys start fighting right after that. I'm not playing. This is influence. I'm telling you people say rap music But the movie that movie that night in houston texas Colors. Oh, it's very it's a huge movie. I I have to sit down with you much as you watch movie We got to watch that one together. You got to see this. I think I was sitting there I see was the one I thought he wrote it. I thought it was his movie. I'm being honest because that's the only one that I remember I knew a song was on there I I remember the song colors. I am a nightmare walking a cycle path all this we promoting this now How much do how much? The impact of that movie. Do you think influence what happened with the movement of the crypts and the bloods? Well, I ain't never seen it and and and it's for in a creative Yeah, I wasn't kid 80s and 70s or whatever you come out. I ain't seen it yet and I ain't gonna see it I'm still living in living colors So I don't need to look at no TV to know what's happening about Minutes to society friday all they go on it's in living colors though So I think it played a role as far as creating a culture to where what's acceptable Exotic, but uh my friend Al Sean Martin Who was a running around with six nine there wrote a song this ain't fashion.  They didn't teach me how to pull a no trigger They didn't teach me Ever a conversation uh go do this It was known what to be done So as far as the movie colors, I think it was great. It was no more different than monster. Cody Wrote his book.  George Jackson. I don't need to see no movie I'm in a survival mode. I don't need to see nothing that that resembles comedy to me. Wow That's what it looks like comedy. Have you ever thought about Telling your story in a movie I get offers, but I don't like talking about me I don't sometimes you can stick a turtle keep his head tucked what in? for protection Yeah, but like I said earlier you Your story has to be told in order for it to project the way out. You've changed So that change has to be seen too. I tell a lot of my partner they had a drink of smoke in 20 some years and They always want to bring up the part about being In the drugs and and being one hell of all the people filing doing what I was doing I get it But what about these 25 some years that I ain't done nothing But just you know try to do the right thing y'all gonna publicize that too So I said that to say your story and the impact that you've had on the culture Um to me it has to be told you see because people glamorize the negativity the negative stuff Because even like say example you tell your story and you go back to what you used to be and what you are now Some kids will look at that the people who want to still be in the street would look at what you did and be like Man, that's what I want to do the they're not looking at how you change and what you're trying to do They're just looking at that part of it and that's all they're going to take from that. You see what I mean, but Somebody else would look at it and be like man. I've been wanting to get out of this game If he got out I can get out too.  It was New Year's Eve And I'm just looking And uh, I see where he wrote mighty new year's resolution. I'm quit gangbanging And I look I've seen it generate a lot of conversation and a lot of them was telling him Kind of down talking him about doing that. So I put a little word in there and said take more of a man To sit up and fall back than it does to join this and some other words and more importantly He has the right to make that choice It's choices that you make and I commended him for what he's doing and that changed the dialogue So a lot of times The use of the day they just nobody showed that they care for To give them to their direction a lot of us do the work that needs to be done, but we can't Help everybody When you said that I was wondering how easy is it to quit a gang? Is it possible because I only know from you know movies, which you don't watch But I know I know the movies because they don't told me something about it, but I ain't watched them You know movies make you feel like There's no walking out if you want to get out you get out in a casket. That's right Let me tell you what no walking out is to me as far as just on a gangster tip You can always walk away From your environment or your circumstances you have that choice because if you really solid about your conviction You will die for your conviction It's simple as that now what can happen is What can happen is A lot of times Economic and social pressure dictate that they stay around because of the environment That they are subjected to I call it isis ic ss acronym inner city stress syndrome The conditions that a youth It's brought up under where it's like ptsd or something because they've been in the same type of situation homelessness Gunfire murders mental health drug abuse all these things contribute to inner city stress syndrome So I just think that Something need to be done to where we really can make a change with these youths But also you have to give them something To where they can feed they sell right because a person will Follow you and listen to you More so if you can feed them But if you hungry and they hungry it's gonna be kind of hard to change that man mind without showing them how to eat That's exactly what I would always say because um, I remember we interviewed a gentleman from Haiti who was um He had ran for Prime minister before and he had lost but he was planning to run again So we virtually interviewed him and he was talking about because Haiti have very Bad gun gun violence, right? And so I was trying to figure out from him. So what are you planning to do that's different to You know help the country and so forth. He's like take the guns off the street. I said, how are you going to do that? the difference that I saw in him he was Willing to go to the inner city to the areas that have these guns and say, okay I'm gonna get y'all jobs because we know that you have to feed your family That's the reason why you're doing what you're doing because you're trying to make money to feed your multiple families and so forth So you give me the guns and I give you jobs for your families and stuff like that. So you can't provide so But what I knew about Caribbean islands just because I'm from Jamaica is the fact that yes, you're willing to go down to this one inner city and say that But there are multiple inner cities that are going through the same situation because You have where you have two inner cities that they're Warring against each other. So to say just that buzz and Chris was just a certain Had to y'all say of course democrats republicans. No, well All of them the same big thing. They are Politicking and they have their own agenda. That's right. That's what all this is about politics Yeah, exactly. So and he was I I was saying to him I said, okay fine You went over here to this one city But are you willing to go to each and every one and say the same thing and do the same thing? And he didn't really say anything about that because he said he only went down one I said, well, you can't just go to one because this won't put down a gun But that one still have the gun They have to protect themselves So you have to look at just not just one area but everywhere because even in Jamaica where you have one area You have like a dawn A person who's over everybody in that area And I used to always find it Good and bad because that person will keep the peace in their area There would be no crime. There's nothing in that area They might fight against somebody else in another area Where they kept the peace in that area mean like if somebody stole from somebody in that area That person fingers might be lost the next day They held accountable Exactly and I would always say that people need to have more of that in all of these different areas Then you'll have more structure But you don't Right because there's no chain of command and it's the same thing over I imagine in Haiti As if you have too many factions and next this go back to gun control and gun laws It's when you got a community where everybody has guns illegally Mm-hmm a lot of times men are carrying weapons To protect themselves, right? I mean, it's it's like you going out into this world To where you everybody else carrying a pistol and you carrying a bow and arrow or you just out there And we really need to I'm not one that believe in Turning your weapons in Because you have other races That that have weapons that have weapons and they're not Training them on they self That's artistically that I see And so they you know, they had a gains and most of them are are bred it and breed it to Be aggressors to war blacks in every race So why would we do that? And if we would come together that doesn't mean none because we still have other races Well, we don't get along with wow, so we need to clean up our own backyard before we even go wearing about something What is your ratio of success with Helping the young folks Well Right depends on What are you talking about when they come to helping I didn't like change your mind because I always say it's lack of education While all of them still do what they do and not, you know what I mean, but um Really have them change their mindset about just being on the streets and this I'm going to out here in prison type of mentality Well, I can say that a lot of people usually when they Inbox me or ask me for a guidance or ask me questions It's usually uh for the better because i'm not going to give out nothing or tell somebody else child Uh to go break no laws I'm not going to do that because I wouldn't want No child No person to tell my daughter or my sons to go break the law if i'm going to do something and I want them I'm going to tell them so I think we have a pretty high successful rate in it and it uh, we work with a group called credible messengers me and I told them arvin along with uh king tone Sean stevens and stocked the violence Charleston worked with a lot of people all across at fair con Uh Peace increased the peace a colleague shalt dany bake well maxine waters What was her name uh camilla hares at one time So we work with a lot of them to try to To put this together man. Do you think we'll ever get to a place where um You can see the violence decrease Well, actually the violence had decreased the lowest In about 2019 or 2018 then it had been in since 1966 and uh, a lot of times we have to look to our local elected officials and government and hold them accountable for not sustaining it You don't want these grassroots and you can look it up statistically Violence had went down quite a bit with a lot of effort of grassroots But we didn't get the support From the local elected officials to come on and to further that they've had plenty of opportunities So we have to look toward leadership and change within the community those that are not actually served in the community We got one more question What um, okay, because I didn't I don't think I asked you this yet, but um, what um when when nipsey huck hustle was uh, was uh murdered in front of his store what Impact did that have on california because from the outside looking in from texas it seemed as if it brought people together for a second you heard small things that went on but After that for a second then after that it was just over or did we or it's just the the the The people stopped talking about it on tv and it made us the press stop, you know holding press on it What what what was up with that? I mean, how did the people affect do you think it affected in a positive way to where it made people change? yeah, you had uh, mostly uh A positive effect or brought awareness uh to whatever uh, uh, it could be uh awareness to unviolence It could be awareness to economical empowerment. It could be uh, awareness to how you can uh Come from out the gutter and change your life There's a lot of things that uh, and like I say, I'd like to speak and and we really need to Quit speaking ill of the dead, okay A lot of times on this social media We're speaking up and and if you don't have something to say positive It's best to let that go So when it comes to nipsey he did have an impact because of his culture and regardless Uh guys that were from a friend family or four of war infractions. They still he had that respect And it was attracted to what it had but it also created the opportunity for us and those that were on the west side Uh, los angeles because you got bomb in Compton watch los angeles west side east side not south central I'm off the west side. He's off the west side. I grew up over there I know quite a lot of his family members So he had an impact but particularly When uh incident occurred for 30 days Pretty much across the la county. That's what I and at the west side. There was no gunplay There was a morning. They had a la gang's united where a lot of the guys came But once again local elected officials the newspapers They didn't write nothing in there might have been on TMZ and the white folks But when it came to the local black newspaper and we have to remember the Propaganda and if it's not used and it's proper white and we have yellow journalism to where they are not reporting Real news hit the control of the jews by this So the same thing can occur. We didn't get the airplay. We didn't get what we did it But a lot of people went and they sent it to another level behind that with fake prophecies where it was profit over Property as far as helping the community and they went on and they came back. So once again We have to go to our elected officials and those that are held accountable that could create it a safe haven And an avenue for this dialogue to continue and they're still having uh Uh events for him and and thanks, but we also have an events for other Organizations and other groups of men that are also doing it. So that's just part of the gang because I believe the store We it closed down and and and that was something we went before we I'm a clothing store owner myself So we went to the store frequent into store when we were coming to LA because we black business only I met him at Magic me and him talked and it was without anybody around just me and him, you know and about business, you know, and uh You know, it was dear to us and we right we went over there beforehand because we we're family that we're like that Our kids work in the store and it's the same vibe, you know, and um Just was a horrible thing when I seen that happen the way they broadcast it across the social media waves You just don't see things broadcast like that. Um Back in the days when we first came up, you know what I mean Well, they didn't have the social media now or the advent of the phone But even on the news you didn't you didn't see it you they would show you maybe the yellow tape Or maybe a you know some some they never even show you they would they were very Very precise to not showing you certain things on that that television Which tells you a vision, but that's a difference between the television they Monitor and they you know decide what you need to see social media First come first serve whoever can get a video first. That's what you're going to see and what's amazing is Uh, you use an artist's record and in five seconds they be don't took your video down For uh using the artist's right, but we don't had uh Indian red boy get uh Killed on on instagram or facebook live They didn't take that down. We we was in 2015. They was posting dead bodies Man down here. So a lot of times we have to hold Social media and those that are running that and stand up for us. You will you will chest ties us Uh, you know, we we as a race We we look we hear magin's law Hamburg or lured three strikes every time a white person Or somebody other than our race have a problem. They make a law and name it and here we is We we have to really stand up and be proud of ourselves first and come to love ourselves first That's the message I preach Go ahead. Well, I was we're just I mean, what did you I'm going to let you get you one more one more Then we're gonna say that I can't I know we got a time. We got to say true No, but the social media have is pros and cons because if it wasn't for people taking up those videos Yes, it's gruesome and you know, it's bad, but and if it wasn't for that We wouldn't have a lot of things Coming to awareness, you know what I mean even like with the vaccine When you talk about the vaccine and everybody is so scared to take the vaccine and so forth When I think about back in the day it's grown up in school and you had vaccines for everything But we had to take it But we didn't know how many people actually died from the vaccines that we were taking as kids because It didn't broadcast it didn't broadcast it But because of all this awareness is bringing up to everybody through social media It put fear in us because now we have the choice to say Okay, this is what happens. Do I do I want to take it or do I not want to take it? You see what I mean? So there are pros and cons from you know social media and everybody having Their phones up because even with police brutality People being stopped illegally and you have a you know the phone you have somewhat proof compared to their body cam which Can go missing.     Wow Hey, man, thank you so much man. We we definitely man. We love you brother. Thank you for coming on our show Thank you, man. And I appreciate it and I hope I did you. Oh, man. You did come on You always do also just come off the top of the Man, thank you so much, man. We love you man. And it's been another great segment of boss talk 101. Oh, yeah


Welcome back to another video looking at Power BI. So if you've seen our previous video where we're using or showing you how to connect the data on the web, then the dashboard we're looking at here will seem very familiar to you. I've just finished filming the video for that tutorial and there was some bits with the data that I felt would need to be updated. They didn't look quite right. So namely being, if we look at the chart here for India, you can see that we've got India and then the value of C surrounded by these two brackets and the same for other countries. And obviously it's not presented the data in the manner we'd like to see. So I thought it'd be a good opportunity with a real world example to show you how we can extract that information using the transform data or power query to be more specific within Power BI. So that is going to be the theme of this video. So picking up from where we left off, we've obviously got data into our dashboard and we now decided that we need to make some updates to this, namely being able to simply remove these values from our data. All we need to do is go transform data. So we just click that button overall and it'll open up our power query editor. And I'm just wrestling on in my other screen, there we go, just to find that query editor. And we won't go, there's some other bits you could probably play around with this data but our main ambition here is just to remove swiftly and quickly for every country that has these square brackets and letter just to remove that all together. So this is a really simple, quick trick we can use to really tidy up our data in this column in particular. So all we need to do is just select this column, go into transform, and you'll see there's this option about halfway across underneath the text column option of extract. So all we need to do is select that dropdown and you can see we've got a range or a range of options available to us. So we've got length, characters, range, but the ones we're interested in these text before, after and between delimiters. So I want to extract the text before a delimiter and that delimiter being this left square bracket. So all we need to do is go text before delimiter and we'll get a pop up but ask for some more information. And simply all I'm gonna do here is enter a square or a left square bracket. And you can see we've got some advanced options available to us here, but we don't need to worry about that. If in case you want to skip a number of delimiters, so you have the first, whatever it might be. But for us, we'll keep that closed, ignore that. We're simply gonna enter this left square bracket. Once we've done that, we'll click okay. And you can see how all of those bracketed letters have now been removed from our column. So this gives us a lot cleaner list of countries to work with. So if we now go back to our home tab, close and reply. So that is now been saved. That step has now been saved into our query. And what I should have done there is just probably showing you that step actually. So what I was gonna go back into transform data, so apologies for jumping over that and going back in. You can see our step, we just done that of extracted text before delimiter. You can see it's now been added to our applied steps. So every time our data is refreshed or we refresh our data, it's also gonna execute this step to make sure that our data retains this desired format we have here. No changes are made this time, so only that you're gonna just cross out of this screen. And you can now see with our countries we have on our bar chart here, Indonesia, Greece and Hong Kong are looking nicely formatted. It's obviously dropped the UK because obviously it had that other value in, so it's no longer able to find it. So if I scroll all the way down our list and let's find United Kingdom will be in here somewhere. They'll get United Kingdom, United States and you can get UAE as well. We can see how we've got a table or a chart and our table is all nicely formatted as well. You don't need to obviously worry about this too much, but it just bothers me. So I'm just gonna go into population here and I'm gonna literally separate by comma. And that way we can see we've got some more manageable populations we've got here. And yet we can see again, I don't know the populations for every country, but I know for United States and the UK, these populations look about correct. So I can see that we're happy our data is pulling in correctly as well. So the data set that we looked at in that previous video was simply connecting to Wikipedia and pulling out the population per every country. It's a really useful data set to use. So if you haven't seen that video, I suggest you go check it out. It's obviously just a previous video to this channel and hopefully a link to that might pop up during this video as well. Obviously using population data is always gonna be of use, whether it's just personal interest or you've actually got a business work connection to that as well. It's also just a really interesting data set to use when you're playing around with Power BI. So like I say, strongly suggest you check out that video even if it's just to get that data set. So you have something that you can play with in your future playing of Power BI. But if you did enjoy that video and it showed you something useful, all nonetheless, if you made it this far and you just did enjoy watching this video, please make sure you hit that like button. That way it will help the all-important YouTube algorithm to ensure more people are able to find this video and other videos on our channel so we can help them identify or answer the questions that they're looking for. And lastly, if it's your first time finding one of our videos or you have watched our videos in the past and you've still not subscribed to the channel, please can I encourage you to hit that subscribe button or also that bell notification button as well. That way you'll be notified of all our future videos and obviously it strongly helps the channel and will be greatly appreciated by me as well. So thank you very much for watching and we'll see you in the next video.


The Christian Association of Nigeria, Cannes, has said that it will petition international organizations to call the government to order and to be more serious in dealing with religious violence in Nigeria. The president of Cannes, Samson Ayokuli, while reacting to the killing of Deborah Samuel, said that the government has not been proactive, has not taken decisive action on cases of religious violence and the entire world needs to hear. Ayokuli said that since this was the first time the kind of happening and Ayokuli said that since that was the first time such was happening there was a need to appeal to the international communities and organizations to help Nigeria and Nigerian Christians. Meanwhile speaking on our political program plus politics Reverend Joseph Hayab said that the country cannot afford as a nation to be tossed to and throw by different religious beliefs as there must always be there must always go by what is written the country's constitution one of which is that no man is permitted to take the life of another come what may. This whole lot of argument without clarity because when you listen to others they will say there's nowhere in the Quran that says you should kill but when you listen to others they will say no there's a justification for you to kill but you're not going to kill you are going to allow a particular authority to kill you so because of this divided idea what I believe is that Nigerian is the cycle of last stage and Nigeria must be ruled by the constitution of Nigeria it's no place in the constitution of Nigeria that empowers another person to kill another person in 2000 why did Christians in northern Nigeria and specifically in Kaguna Rajesh area this is one of the reasons because we know that there are excesses about it and we just wanted to be sure we are protected even with those arguments where are we now we've still lost a lot of people so many of our children so many of our husbands so many of our wives have been killed under attestation that they blaspheme the prophet or they desecrated the Quran but we are simply saying that if we begin to look at blasphemy and desecration then this country will never know peace because you just started by talking about the president's speech have you really listened to what the president said the president said and I quote that even Jesus Christ is a prophet for me a christian calling Jesus Christ a prophet is blasphemy because it's ignorant Jesus is not a prophet to me as a christian so but you see we tolerate this thing we understand this thing we don't care about who said it but we the moment it comes to the other angle then our children are being killed our families are under attack I think we really need to sit and talk about what makes us Nigeria are we Nigerians by the constitution and political in Nigeria or we're Nigeria by the dictate of a particular religion in a particular section unless we honestly discuss this we'll continue to have this challenge over and over because it is our daughter today we are crying tomorrow it may be another person's daughter from another part of Nigeria and the cry will go that way and this will continue


Hobby every EFL teacher needs to try when teaching English abroad, engage in physical and mental activities. For the more physically active types, many countries have their own specialty sport, such as Thai Boxing in Thailand, Kung Fu in China, Taekwondo in Korea, and Kabadi in South Asia. Find a local club and see if you can become involved. Sport and music both attract sociable people. Moreover you can also find a variety of meditation classes, especially in Asian countries. This can include anything from weekly mindfulness lessons to week-long programs at temples. South Korea for example has a nationwide temple stay program in place allowing you to visit a local temple, and spend a couple of days living like a monk. Similar programs can be found in many other parts of Asia, such as Thailand, Cambodia, or Myanmar. Thanks so much for watching. We are ITTT, the leading provider for TEFL and TESOL training courses. If you like this video, please subscribe by clicking that button down here and click on any of the videos here on the left for more interesting teaching tips for getting certified to teach English abroad and online.


A single serving of blueberries can help mediate the arterial dysfunction induced by smoking a cigarette. They investigated the effect of a single serving of frozen blueberries on young smokers. Smoke a single cigarette, and the amount of your arteries to relax naturally drops 25% within two hours. But eat two cups of blueberries 100 minutes before, and that same cigarette causes less than half the damage, demonstrating that a single big serving of frozen blueberries could counteract the artery dysfunction induced by smoking. However, of course, it should be noted that blueberry consumption cannot be considered a means of preventing health consequences due to smoking. This can only be realized by stopping smoking, or even better, not smoking in the first place. Two cups of blueberries is a lot, though. Yeah, you could easily chug those down to smoothie, but what's like the minimum dose? We didn't know until a group of British researchers decided to put it to the test to enable them to do a double-blind study. They had to create a placebo-controlled fake blueberry drink, so they used a freeze-dried wild blueberry powder to give people the equivalent of three quarters of a cup of fresh blueberries, one and a half cups, one and three quarters, about three cups, or four cups. They concluded blueberry intake acutely improves artery function in an intake-dependent manner. Okay, so what's the optimal intake? After the placebo, nothing happens, but after eating one and three quarters cups worth of blueberries, a big spike in artery function improvement within just one hour of consumption. And that seems to be where the effect maxes out. Less than a cup is good, but between one and two cups seems better, with no benefit going beyond that in a single meal. When you cook them, like what if you put them in a blueberry pie or something? The same remarkable improvement in artery function baked into a bun, just spiking an hour later since solid food passes more slowly through your stomach. And then if you eat blueberries week after week, you get chronic benefits too, in terms of reduced artery stiffness and a boost in your natural killer cells, which are one of your body's natural first lines of defense against viral infections and cancer. But wait a second, how can blueberries have all these amazing effects if the anthocyanins, the blue pigments in blueberries, purported to be the active ingredients, hardly even make it into our system? Women were given more than a couple blueberries to eat, and they couldn't find hardly any in their bloodstream or flowing through urine. Here's what's called a chromatogram, with the spikes showing all the little anthocyanin peaks in blueberries. Here's your blood before eating blueberries, obviously no signs of the pigments. After one hour, you start to see them appear, and a few hours later they become a bit more distinct, but all in all, just a few billions of a gram per milliliter show up. So either anthocyanins are extremely potent and therefore active at low parts per billion blood concentrations, or somehow their bioavailability has been underestimated, so researchers decided to radioactively tag them and trace them throughout the body. What happens is that blueberry pigments are metabolized by our liver and our microbiome, the good bacteria in our gut, into these active metabolites that are then what's absorbed into our system. So it's kind of a team effort to benefit from berries, and that would solve this mystery as well. Have you ever noticed this second spike in benefit over here at six hours? How does that make sense? Well, some of the metabolites peak in the bloodstream within an hour, but others ramp up more slowly, especially if the berries have to make it all the way down to the colon. And it's not just spikes at one hour and six hours. If you track them out even further, some go up even more. So like a day later, you may still be experiencing berry benefits as our gut bacteria continues to churn out goodies that get absorbed back into our system, feeding us as we feed them. Eating blueberries can so feed our good bacteria that it's like taking a natural probiotic, a win-win, all around.


What's up everyone, takedown here. Welcome back to another video. So today I'm going to be sharing a lot of the information that has so far been announced that has to do with NHL's newest expansion team, which is going to be in Seattle. So I do have the article up in front of me right here. I'm going to be leaving it linked down below so you can check out the article for yourself. But this is only stuff that has been announced right now. I'm sure I'll be doing an updated video later on whenever they start adding more stuff. But let's just get into today's video. So Seattle is going to be the NHL's 32nd team and they're going to begin playing in the 2021-22 season. So there is a lot of time for everything to be announced and everything shared with the public. So the commissioner has stated today is an exciting historic day for our league as we expand into one of North America's most innovative, beautiful and fastest growing cities. And we are thrilled that Seattle, a city with proud hockey history that includes being the home for the first American team ever to win the Stanley Cup, is finally joining the NHL. What the commissioner is referring to here is the Stanley Cup champions from 1917, which was the Seattle Metropolitan. The ownership group led by Majority Stakeholder Dave Bonderman, Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheem, and CEO Todd Luik. I'm probably butchered all their names, but they will pay a $650 million US expansion fee. By comparison, the Vegas Golden Knights paid $500 million fee two years ago. The team will begin playing in the 2021-22 season. The Seattle ownership group had hopes for being ready for 2020, but with an $800 million renovation to the key arena. Now there is a quote for Bruckheem here. It says that we wanted to have it ready for 2020, but we had to push it back one more year because it is not fair to the fans or the players to not have a 100% finished arena when they start. Which to me, I can honestly see nobody wants to go to arena that is not finished. They don't want to have all kinds of construction going on whenever they're at the start of the season and they're starting to be a team. So for me, that makes sense why they had to push it back one more year. Seattle submitted its application for the expansion back in February and said they already secured more than 30,000 deposits for season tickets. So now it talks about the conferences being evened up. It says what the Seattle franchise will do is add a 16th team to the western conference matching the number in the east. So to me, that makes sense to have it even like that anyways. Now that there's 32, having 16 in the western 16 in the east makes sense to me at least. And it also says in this article that they are going to have the same expansion rules as Vegas. So in March, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Dolly confirmed that the potential Seattle expansion franchise would be subject to the same exact expansion draft rules as the Golden Knights and will take place in 2021. Teams will have two options when it comes to protecting players who may be added to the new Seattle team. Either they can have seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie or eight total skaters in one goalie. So if a team has a lot of top end defensemen, it might be better for them to choose the second option, but they lose having one pick. Myself, I would choose the first option if I was a team owner. That's just me. Players with no movement clauses will be protected automatically while any first or second year pros and all unsigned draft choices will be not eligible for drafted by Seattle. In October, Bateman confirmed that Vegas will be exempt from the draft, meaning Seattle will have to choose one player from the NHL's other 30 teams. So this is the only thing in the entire article that does not make any sense to me. By the time the next expansion draft happens, Vegas will be in the league for five years. Maybe they only want Seattle to have 30 people chosen, but for me, when Vegas is going to be in the league for five years at the time for the expansion draft, why are they being exempt? Every other team is going to be losing a player. Why not Vegas? Why is Vegas exempt from it? But this is everything that they have announced so far. So I will leave this link down below so you guys can check out this article as well. Now the Seattle team is not going to be starting until 2021. So by then, I'm sure they're going to have a lot more information on this. So if there's any information that comes out soon, I will be giving you guys an updated video and sharing anything else that I find with you guys. I hope they announce a little bit more soon and I hope they do update some more things as well. I'd love to do another updated video and share more information with you guys, but I'm going to leave this video here. Hope you guys did enjoy. I'll see you guys in the next video. Please take care. Peace.


The month of Rabi'u'llah just passed us, and you may have noticed that every khutbah that you attended reminded us how important it was for us to build a relationship with the Prophet ﷺ. How a live void of mention and love of the Prophet ﷺ is hollow from within. There's a gap in our lives, something missing. And the Khatib must have repeatedly reminded you that if you wish to build this bond with the Prophet ﷺ, the first step you need to take is to learn about the Prophet ﷺ. And to study the life of the Prophet ﷺ. And there are those of us who maybe as of recently or for many years have been searching for guidance in the life of the Prophet ﷺ. But one of the things is that when a person studies the life of the Prophet ﷺ, the question you have to ask yourself is what do you want from his life? Because there can be 10 people here and I can give you one book and each of you can learn a different lesson from the very same text. Because what you want from the text, that's what that text will give you. Now in order for you to know what you want, you have to ask yourself what are the problems with me and what do I need? If I know what I need, if I know what the problems are, then I can go and search for answers for those problems. But if I don't know what the problem is in the first place, then what do I do? So you'll find people who will come to the Prophet ﷺ's life thinking that let me study it so that I can gain spiritual benefit. Because without doubt the Prophet ﷺ's life offers many spiritual lessons. Then there are those of us who think to ourselves, ok, beyond Tafwah and Salah and Ebadah, maybe I can find an example of my social issues. I can find a solution to my social issues. But very rarely will you find people who turn to themselves and say, I have an emotional issue. Because in our communities, accepting that something is wrong emotionally is a great taboo. And I was reading somewhere that if a president of the United States of America, or any president of the world for that matter, was diagnosed with some sort of physical illness, the population was still tolerated. But if somehow or the other they were diagnosed with some sort of a psychological issue, they would be impeached. They'd be removed. Within time their brains would go down and their effectiveness as leaders would be gone. Because we made taboos out of emotional issues. And because we don't address them and look at them in the eye and say that something is wrong here, or unwilling to explore the idea, those emotions continue to be repressed and they burn within us and they burn within us and we love to ignore them and turn away. But the Prophet ﷺ Allahu Akbar had anyone said to them, we ask ourselves this question. Is there something wrong with having emotional conflicts? Is there something wrong for a person to be conflicted emotionally? Is there something wrong with that? The Prophet ﷺ Yes, we know he had physical challenges. Yes, we know the Prophet ﷺ he had his financial challenges and he had his social challenges with his family and so on. He was a human being. But we forget to realize that when the Prophet ﷺ had all sorts of challenges, one of the great challenges he faced was his emotions. And this is that the seed of the scholar is gifted this ayah. The Prophet ﷺ at times was emotionally conflicted. But of the way he is a prime example of this. A period passes by, the Prophet ﷺ doesn't receive revelation, thoughts begin to roam in his mind. In all sorts of thoughts, maybe my Lord is angry at me, maybe something drawn, maybe I made a mistake and all the maybes start coming in. And you should ask yourself because you have a vision of life. Every one of us sitting here has a conviction, has a vision that this is what I want to accomplish from life as being an Imam in the community, as someone who's a father, as a husband, as a wife, as a business owner, as a citizen. I have a vision of what I want to accomplish. And when we fail in accomplishing with what we want, our emotions begin to stir. And we begin to look at everything else for answers. We start looking for solutions everywhere. We're too afraid to look for solutions for the emotions that we have repressed in our hearts. The anger over failure. Every time something goes in a way that we don't want it to go, over the past there is an anger that remains there, that things could have happened in another way. Why did it not happen that way? Anger builds.  Anxiety. You think of the future. The past, anger, the future, you're anxious. What is tomorrow going to hold for you? What's going to happen in my life tomorrow? If we fail today, maybe it's possible four years from now when they fail again. If I fail as a parent today, my second and third child, along with Anna, what's going to happen there? I just had a business that went down the drain. What if two years from now it happens again? I just had an issue right now, whatever the case is. If I just fail, there's anxiety that what happens to me tomorrow? How do I deal with tomorrow? That's another issue. So when we're looking for real issues that we have, in particular today I'm going to address emotional issues that we have. Where do we search for answers? Why are we afraid to go to the life of the Prophet ﷺ and search for answers there? Where companions come to the Prophet ﷺ and they're emotionally struggling. And the Prophet ﷺ gives them advice. The Prophet ﷺ was walking past this lady and she's sitting on the side of the road and she's crying. And the Prophet ﷺ says to her, be patient. Without turning around, she says, what do you know about patience? You're not feeling my pain. The Prophet ﷺ walks on and someone comes and tells her, do you know who that man was? That was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. She had just lost her child. She was sitting at his grave and crying. She comes to the Prophet ﷺ and says, I didn't know something happened. I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you. I didn't know it was you. I wouldn't have said that. The Prophet ﷺ says to her, You want to learn how to deal with your emotions? You recognize when the problem exists right there that you have a problem. And that's when you have to address it. You don't talk about patience one year from now. You don't talk about patience two weeks from now. You talk about it now. What can I do? The Prophet ﷺ loses his grandchild. Zaynabunadiyya Allah, Allah sends a Messenger.  My son, my child, just passed away. The Prophet ﷺ didn't go. He said to the Messenger, go and tell her that my ma'az are with them. And then she becomes upset. She's a Prophet's daughter.  And the Prophet ﷺ came to the gathering. He had tears falling down his eyes. And he said, When you translate these words, you see how the Prophet ﷺ isn't only highlighting his spiritual emotion, his spiritual connection with Allah, but he's talking about real emotions. He's saying, Be patient. And have hope in Allah ﷺ. So, why are you getting hung up with them? You have your responsibility. But emotionally, the outcome of the issues that you face in your life, you have to submit them to Allah ﷺ. Don't oversell last night what I was coming to yesterday when I was flying into San Francisco. There was a sister, she sent me a voice note on and she wanted me to respond to her question. And the summary of the 7-minute voice note was, I'm trying to look for happiness, but the more I search for it, the further it goes from me. And I said to the sister, You're missing the point. You're over-planning and overthinking the future of your life. You want happiness focused on today. Tomorrow, plan for it, but don't focus on tomorrow. Don't give all of your efforts for tomorrow to a degree where you're losing out today. She's planning, planning, planning for five years from now. How will I be a happy lady? But as a result of her looking there and focusing there only, and ignoring today, guess what's happening today? Her possibility of gaining joy and happiness is right out the window. It can't happen. Because she's too focused on tomorrow. She's too afraid to focus on today. We need to focus on today. What do we do?  They bring this particular narration. And this is, I think this particular narration takes us to a point in the life of the companions where they must have experienced some really mixed emotions. Mixed emotions to the degree that I'm not even sure of any human being came shared over a Jammal Futbah or tried to really go into it because these people were really strong. And when does this narration occur? One of the prophets of Allah, he will say to them, make a statement on his deathbed. Try to think of what the Sahaba were going through. For those of you who ever sat by the side of your parent passing away or were told, your mother or father is passing away. It's not easy. It's really hard. And here they're sitting by the side of the prophet of Allah, he will say to them, and he's leaving them in all sorts of mixed emotions. Anger probably, anxiety, depression, as they had experienced in the battle of Uhad as well, when the prophet passed away, said, what's going to happen tomorrow? And the prophet of Allah sees this. And you know the most beautiful thing about the prophet of Allah, even though he's on his deathbed, he wants to ensure that he has emotionally guided the companions before they leave. Because if he can't give them guidance today while he's alive, tomorrow, few moments from now, when he passes away, there will be no guidance from the revelation land. So Imam Abu Dawud with Allah, and he actually says, these were the last words of the prophet of Allah, from the last words of the prophet of Allah, the prophet of Allah, has his companions around him and they're all just remorseing and they're crying and they're hurt internally by the prophet of Allah, he was leaving them. So what does he do? He says to them, As-Salaam, As-Salaam, As-Salaam, As-Salaam, Wa-Mahbana Takaym, He's reminding them that when you're emotionally conflicted, turn to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, turn to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and be just with those who you have authority over. The people who are underneath you be just with them. The prophet of Allah, As-Salaam, is channeling energy. Every human being has energy. Now, it's our responsibility to channel that energy. You ever notice this that our kids at home, when they come back from school after a long, eight-hour school day, when they come back home, they have enough energy to jump on a trampoline, go swimming, and then go play.  They come back and they want to jump around on your sofa. You get tired of telling them, Sofieba Jammat Karam. You get tired of telling them, stop jumping on the sofa, but they have enough energy to jump on it off the sofa for the next three, four hours. They have energy. Every human being has energy. But what do you do with that energy? The prophet of Allah, As-Salaam, emotionally gives them a nudge. He pushes them in the right direction. And now how they grieve is in a very positive manner. What does he teach them? He teaches them that if you are down, the only real way for you to get up is through the help of Allah SWT. And the only way you can get help from Allah SWT firstly, is if you have a bond with Allah SWT. We always talk about this in particular with the recent political changes. We tell them that, oh, make du'a that hopefully things are better. Make du'a for the oppressed. Make du'a, make du'a. What does that mean, make du'a? Let's be real. If I meet you on the way out, or if you meet me, or if we meet each other at a party, or if you meet one of your buddies or friends, other than your own parents. Let's put the parents out of the picture because they're just a whole different league. If you go to any other person and you tell them make du'a for me or make du'a for the ummah, what does that really mean? You know what that person is going to do? Allah make it easy, I mean. And that's it. Our du'a is that don't death in them. There's no meaning to them. It's lip service. One of the Muslim ambassadors says, our stefa has sold it of value that our stefa requires another stefa for the bad etiquette while we meet the first stefa. That's where we are. You know, asalatu ala ma'ma naqam. That's if the Prophet said Allah want to give us something the same. The east and west, north and south will become yours if Allah is yours first.  Nothing is yours at all. You want to cry?  And some of us think that crying is somehow an expression of weakness. It's not an expression of weakness. The greatest man that came in history that walked in this earth, they cried abundantly.   They had a bond with Allah SWT. Omar bin Khattab, as Imam Ali Khan Khattab, Ali Ali narrates in his Muattah. Omar bin Khattab, radi Allah, writes a letter to his governors, right? During his Khadab, Islam has now literally spread to the east and the west up and down everywhere, you know, from Yemen all the way up to, you know, the borders of Rome and into Persia and into Egypt.   He writes a letter to all of his governors. He receives some complaints. Omar Ali Allah, who I was very strict on his governors, too. So he wrote a letter to each of his governors. And in that letter, you know, when he wrote to them, he said that the most important thing you can do out of all of your affairs is your Salah. That's the most important thing. And then he says, because whoever protects Salah, that person has protected their Deen.  That person won't be a good husband, won't be a good father, won't be a good businessman, that person won't be a good citizen. Because in their eyes, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta'ala has no value. What kind of value will the place on another human being? Our first, our greatest responsibility is building a bond of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta'ala. The bond of the dunya will come and go. You know, you think about this.  When we talk about people like him and others from across the globe, I use him as an example for a reason. But otherwise, if you look across the globe and you read about great scholars that came or pious people that came in Islamic history, whether it be men like Sheikh Adamid Ibn Taymiyya, or in Egypt, if not Allah, or any of them, from whichever, you know, I use these two examples as well as a contrast. Wherever in the world, no matter what you took a methodology you have a lenience towards. You will always notice that these people did not live in political environments where everything was at peace. There was a lot of them. Societies were broken. There were political wars going on. The Mongols are attacking, the Crusaders are rain-sacking.  But these people realized that when that was happening, that couldn't stop their life, that couldn't stop their dedication to their deem. Because if everyone hits hold on their deem for political engagement, because we view the two as two separate pathways, then you will be at double loss. But at the end of the day, only people, human beings continue to politically disagree with one another. There's up and down, not that I'm saying we should be apolitical and not claiming that. But I'm saying that the world just went up and down in its political ways, but we have built a bond with Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. We've worked with our immediate family. We've worked with our immediate community. And that's what the Prophet is saying, As-Salaamu Alaykum wa ma-Laykum wa ma-Laykum. He's saying to the companions, when he's passing away, when I leave, you will continue to gain success in your life if you have Allah with you. First thing.  You guys understand that? The acceptance of your Salah will be seen through your humanity. If, for example, you pray Salah and it's all masha'Allah, your Haim Khayr is like on point. But at the end of that Haim Khayr, when you end your Salah, you're doing the good of Haim, you're throwing all that on people. If that's what your Salah has taught you, that from spiritually you build yourself, you come out to be a disaster to society, your Salah isn't translated. Your spirituality should translate to you being a better human being. That's what we end our Salah with what? As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah, As-Salaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah. It's as if we're making a covenant to the people on my right and left that I'm a better human being. My prayer is changing. It made me into a better human being, it just made me into a better person. So the Prophet SAW is teaching us, wa ma'ma deka teka ma'ma, very powerful, divine words, you know, Javan-e-Al-Qanim, concise and precise words. The Prophet's saying, be just with those who you have authority over. The reason why I want to highlight the language used here is because he didn't say be just to your children, because that would have restricted the scope of this statement. He says be just with those who you have possession, who you have authority over. It says that the Prophet SAW was telling every human being, you have authority to some degree or the other. Every human being has authority here.  Be just with people. Have good character. Develop yourself. Be good people. You cannot fix the world if you haven't figured out that you need fixing first. If we haven't come to that point, you know, we can't offer things to other people. We can't offer other people. You look at the greatest political activists. The greatest political activists in history, even in modern times, are those people who are genuine good people. Otherwise, it's sort of crooked people. When you look at them, even though they may have a high position in politics, when you look at a person and you see them being crooked, you're not going to vote for them. You're not going to give them your heart. Even if you do vote for them, you're doing it because the alternative is horrible or was horrible. Okay? Develop yourself first. Be good human beings. You know, the Prophet ﷺ's advice as he finishes off his life, as he ends his chapter, and he's guiding the companions forward, is very powerful. And this is the same advice that I want to finish off this book about with a reminder. Build a bond with Allah swt. Make your du'a meaningful. Unfortunately, when it comes to our du'a, when it comes to us making du'a, when I look at my mother and uncles and aunties from my community who are from an older generation, maybe they weren't as well versed when it came to the difference of opinions amongst the madhhah. If you ask my brother, what is the hanifi madhhah, she would have no idea what that word even means. You know, there were people from the past, if you told them Madhavi Shafi'ih, that they were like, ah, that's a tongue twister. I don't know what that means. But these people, maybe they weren't intellectually sophisticated, but spiritually they were.  But what wasn't up for discussion was, once those hands are there, you start crying from here. That was mujma'adi, that was a read-upon. Every person knew that you were supposed to cry in love. You know, I just wanted you to know that auntie who you were related to, who would wake up every morning and pull up this book that was really old and dustin and brown pages and the corners were ripping off of each page, and they would sit there and read, not knowing what they were reading, but they were reading it anyway. Because they understood the importance of du'a. That same very old lady who had her little namaz-i-jaga prayer scarf around her head, she'd have her book, she'd have her at the speed, she'd have her mus'ada and give her s'adaqah every morning.  These people may not have been the greatest political activists or activists in general, but these people were spiritually built. And that's how we come. Each generation is indebted to the previous generation.  So we are indebted to them and their spirituality. Because what kind of people they were? Where are we today? You know, you ask someone to make du'a or the Imam makes du'a after salat and he goes on for another two, three minutes or four, five minutes, but after 30 second du'a turns into five minutes or a couple of quran du'a, instead of being five minutes turns into 30 minutes, people start looking at each other. After salat is over, after the du'a is over, they come to the Imam and say, Chik, the du'a was too long. If he did the khabla now for 15 minutes, we'd be okay with it. But if it is a du'a for 15 minutes, it's awkward for us. We've become people, you know, when you travel to another state to visit relatives and they tell you that there's a wedding in the community and they take you along with them. And when you go there, you don't know anyone there. And what's the first thing that, what's the only thing that you think in your mind? Let's get out of here. It's really awkward.  I can't sit here for too long. How many times am I gonna ask the guy in front of me, how's it going? What do you do? You're gonna ask the guy social security too?  And that's our situation with Allah SWT. We raise our hands and we say, Ya Allah, Alhamdulillah, As-salatu wa s-salamu ala Rasulullah, O Allah, forgive me. Now what? We've never made God Allah SWT. There's no death there. There's no bond there. My teacher used to say something powerful. He used to say, if everyone engage your level of spirituality, if you ever wanna know where you are spiritually, there's a simple measuring stick. Sit down, raise your hand and see how long you can entertain yourself while talking to Allah SWT. Simple. And if you get tired five minutes into it, you know what kind of friend you have. And you see how interested you are in your friend. This will not right now. We are a people who need to come back to the teachings, the simple, very simple teachings of the Prophet of Allah SWT. Allah SWT, Allah SWT spiritually guide us, Allah SWT spiritually charge us so that we can benefit ourselves, benefit our community members and as always benefit the entire humanity.


How do you step to the cow? What are you doing now?  Well, initially you're going to lift your hand and use your feet because your feet are what you use when you show. So the hand is a recommendation. Your feet are to say this is where we're going to go.  And then you'll get to ride that horse across that cow. If the cow keeps going that same direction then it makes that horse think and not get tricked by it so much. So you can ride out in that direction. But it helps you get a lot more handle on your horse left and right with your feet. Which is, like I said, what you need to do when you show. You need to be able to do everything with your hand down. Come show day. Teach them to get up through the herd. Control them. Come with some pressure right there. And then keep walking forward because we want to drive up. And in the show pen up is better. Money is up as far as you can go. Not down pushed up against the herd. You'll see very few cuttings one there. You can also get, you know, when the cows are just driving off the cows can play like here and get a hold of you. There's no pressure from another horse. It gives that horse time to think. Why don't people probably drive off? Well, cutting has evolved so much, you know, it's about a huge stop and it's about running, holding a straight line. And you know, like we're out here in a round pen, people often have trouble visualizing straight lines in a round pen. You know, I've taught a lot of people over the years and...