Linda's Place

Martin Luther King Speaks of Socrates in the Birmingham Jail! "But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.”  I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive,  nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.  Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary  to create a tension in the mind so that individuals  could rise from the bondage of myths  and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal,  we must see the need for nonviolent gadflies  to create the kind of tension in society  that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice  and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. " Healthy Dialogues - Buildings Healthy Communities! What started me on this quest was a training course about Customer Service. The course dealt with some concepts of self help, ‘Know they self,’ how to communicate, and interact with others. A

Simon Parkesui Ogiek Masai from Kenya  visit to Beekeeping projects on Randall Island, NYC. Simon Parkesui and Jay Smith & Joseph Daniel Wilson Community Garden in Harlem, NYC, December 2014   The Ogiek Indigenous Masai! They Inhabit the Mau Forest of Kenya !   The Ogiek Indigenous People of Kenya are a very unique ethnic group. They have struggled for centuries. But still they persist. They persist and sustain in spite of colonialism, forest evictions, etc.     They  have won some victories recently. For the first time      in history, an indigenous people in Africa have argued their case at the   African Court on Human and Peoples Rights.   The Ogiek are one of Africa’s last hunter-gather peoples. Their homeland is the Mau forest in Kenya. In the forest they collect wild fruits and nuts, hunt, and harvest honey without overstressing these valuable resources. They do not take from the forest more than what is needed to sustain their livelihood.