Words are powerful and so are women. Mom’s, Grandma’s and female caretakers have an incredible impact on humanity but many don’t even think they have the power to move a shopping cart from one aisle to the next. This has to do with words.
Many women describe themselves with words like: fat cow, stupid, and weak. They have an overall view of themselves as “not good enough”.
If you feel like a powerless blob (and many women do even when they are in positions of power), begin by choosing your point of focus. Envision how you can incorporate words like Love, Joy, Vision and Power into your vocabulary about yourself and see what happens.
The I am Galvanized song of the week comes to you from Michael Zampelli. Zampelli has been influential force in the Southern California music scene for more than 40 years and is the former owner of Zed Records of Long Beach. He continues to maintain an interest in new music coming out of the U.K.
This week was filled with inspiration that can’t be communicated in words but the Sun and Soul Music mix says it all.
Available for a limited time, this mix contains songs about the Sun for people with Soul. ‘Specially my Soul Sisters and Brothers, you know who you are. Dance and liberate your Self.
Covers a wide range of genres: soul, funk, hip hop, drum and bass, dubstep, punk, alternative all songs designed to light you up and make you warm inside and out.
I’m new to DJ mixing but well versed in mix tapes. Listen ’cause you want some food for thought to chew on while you shake your booty.
Speaking of Spring, you can get free downloads to awaken your Spring, including the Free Report: “One Word That’s Guaranteed to Put the Spring in Your Sex Life Today” and more at awakenyourspring.com
On Valentine’s day, I was inspired to sit down and record a DJ Mix that blends audio and images to create a soundtrack for Peace, Love and Unity. It’s about Love and things I Love. It’s about embracing the past, being in the present and looking forward to the future with enthusiasm.
It’s for people I love.
Play it when you’re ready to party or take a break from monotony. Use it to Galvanize your mind, pump you up or get you inspired.
This mix includes brand smokin’ new dubstep from the UK via Beatport.com as well as some soul, funk, Drum and Bass and even a little punk rock. It also includes a track I just created last week using jungle sounds from a Lenny De Ice track (We are I.E.) and sound snippets from a rousing sermon by Ahman titled Mental Fast. Here’s the track all by itself if you’d like to give it a listen.
Get in the groove and get ready to move at The Church of Beats, Rhythms and Raps and enjoy a replay of the Valentine’s Day Service performed by Rev. DJ Gal VanIZed. If you can’t see the player below, click here to hear the mix.
There are so many things to listen to and see these days. I recently got a Roku player that allows me to not only watch streaming Netflix but to watch YouTube videos on my TV, to tune into iTunes Podcasts on my TV and to listen to alternative radio from San Francisco via SomaFM (I like the Groove Salad myself).
As mind-blowing as all that is/was, the thing that excited me the most this week was discovering an episode of Soul Train from the 80′s with appearances from Run DMC and Dazz. In the same episode, a boy named Jesse made a “wish” with a then relatively small organization called, “Make a Wish Foundation” to dance on Soul Train. Jesse was 9 and had luekemia and this boy could bust a move. Needless to say, I pressed “keep until I delete” on my Tivo so I can watch this again and again.
Here’s a video of the interview Run DMC did on Soul Train.
After watching this episode, it got me thinking about the Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest. That sent me looking for a good Beastie Boys tune to listen to. I chose High Plains Drifter.
One of the things I love about Hip Hop is the storytelling aspect and how the artists weave so many associations into one song. This video demonstrates visually how many tie-ins you can cram into one song. I used to listen to all these songs over and over again trying to figure out all the references and innuendos.
All this “trippin’” down memory lane reminded me of how my brothers and I used to dance to Yo MTV Raps and how one of my brothers was dedicated enough to get cardboard, lay it out in the driveway and practice break dancing moves…yes, to Run DMC and maybe even Grand Master Flash if I remember correctly. Or maybe that was ME. Yes, I went to see Grand Master Flash twice in Hollywood in the 80′s. An experience worth remembering.
My brothers and I had a lot of fun growing up thanks to music and still to this day we enjoy listening to old-school rap and hip hop at family reunions. I am especially entertained as I watch the looks on people’s faces when I tell them that.
Have a great weekend and get galvanized!
P.S. I’m beginning to think it might be a good idea to have a Facebook page for iamgalvanized.com that’s separate from my Sheri Zampelli page on Facebook. If you’d like to follow my activity on Facebook, and stay galvanized all week long, go to the new page I created and click “like.”
If you spend more time on the internet than you do watching T.V.; if you get a major chunk of your media input from YouTube, you have no doubt heard of Internet sensation Antoine Dodson.
Dodson (up until recently) lived in the projects in Huntsville, Alabama called Lincoln Park. One night, while he was minding his own business hanging out on Facebook, he heard his sister scream. He ran to her room and saw her struggling with a bed intruder, a man who was trying to rape her. The rapist was scared away before he was able to carry out his sexual assault.
When news cameras arrived at Dodson’s doorstep, he was still angry, scared and worked up over the ordeal. He was very animated on camera and it was entertaining to watch. So entertaining that the Gregory Brothers, who are known for auto-tuning the news made a song of it and took it viral. At this point in time the Antoine Dodson Bed Intruder song has about 14.5 million views on YouTube. At one point, it was #3 on the iTunes popularity list.
Today I heard a little bit of the story that put a twist on things for me. Dodson’s sister has a 2-year old daughter. The daughter is aware of the trauma and tragedy and she is scared. She is scared for herself and she’s scared for her mom.
I am currently teaching a class about Victimology at Long Beach City College and we talked about sexual abuse just last Thursday. We watched a video by Marilyn Van Derbur called “Once Can Hurt a Lifetime” and we talked about all the ways sexual abuse impacts the survivor. Here’s what we came up with (click on image to enlarge):
Despite all these known consequences for sexual assault survivors, resources to help people are a very low priority on our list at voting time. The impact of lack of funding is evidenced by the closure of Sexual Assault Crisis Agency in Long Beach. For those who need support with overcoming the impact of sexual assault, a good place to start is RAINN (Rape Abuse and Incest National Network).
In class we also talked about some of the ways abusers wield power and control over others. Here’s our list (click on image to enlarge):
We discussed how gaining personal power was a positive step to avoid falling prey to victimizers. If you want help to strengthen your mind, visit icreatehabits.com for a free hypnosis MP3 titled Create The Life You Want. Or, visit Start a Master Mind Group.com to find out how to use group energy to strengthen and improve yourself as a person.
Every musical act has influences. The Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest influenced each other. Punk bands from the U.K. influenced garage bands in Southern California and vice versa. Reggae and dub influenced each other.
What are your influences? That’s what we talked about in Helping and Listening Skills this week. We came up with a great list and I liked it so much I took a picture of it.
I asked the students to tell me about the things that influence them. What do they value? Why do they do what they do; love what they love? This is the list they came up with:
Parents
Environment
-Friends
-Neighborhood
-Peers
-Religion
Culture
Schools
Food/Nutrition
Media
Mental Illness
Life Experience
-Observation
Socio-Economic Status ($$$)
Books
Music
Relationships
Friendships
Family
-Uncles
-Aunts
-Brothers
-Sisters
-etc.
Role Model
-Coach
-Minister
-Teacher
Law
Government
Health
Medication/Drugs
Language
Sleep
Fashion
Freedom
Travel
Pets
Sex
Arts
-Pictures
-Painting
-Dance
Entertainment
Perception
The point I want to make in this class is that you cannot know any of these things about yourself or anyone else unless you first learn how to listen.
A great Master Mind group is one that’s committed to honoring and respecting each other and that includes listening unconditionally and without judgment. It is honoring a person to trust that they know what’s best for their own life.
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When you think about it, every musical act you know of is using the Master Mind principle whether they realize it or not. They are joining together as a team with a combined vision. You can use the same principle and make some truly rockin’ things happen in your life.
Do you have a creative project you want to complete? Do you want to find a purpose for your life?
If so, I invite you to come over to my brand new page called Start a Master Mind Group.com. I’m offering 4 freebies to get you started so you can get a sense of what the Master Mind is all about.
“Get Rel!g!on” is the current rally cry surrounding the latest hip hop producer, who’s already began dazzling artists and record labels with his skilled creations and innovative beats. Utilizing a fascinating mix of live playing and assorted sampling, the young producer from Vancouver, British Columbia is generating buzz in Canada as well as the U.S. Rel!g!on is already releasing his own material, as well as working with other artists to build his reputation as a bona fide hit machine in the hip hop game.
Released in January 2010, his first official release, Revelationz I garnered positive attention from reviewers and fans across the web. Featuring heavy hitters such as Chuck D of Public Enemy as well as Planet Asia and Moka Only, Rel!g!on’s first record was nothing short of an instant hip hop success. His inspired, imaginative tracks laid the foundation for ultra skilled MCs to spit their finest rhymes and create memorable, catchy songs.
“Rel!g!on has a nice sound to his production, and it shouldn’t be too much longer before his congregation of followers grows,” said Emmanuel Wallace of RapReviews.com on Revelationz I.
Born in Ottawa, Rel!g!on grew up listening to his father’s musical influence, which included a variety of instruments, singing, and an extensive record collection. Fascinated by keyboards and organs, the fledgling hip hop perfectionist began experimenting with records and a Casio SK 1, beginning the journey of honing his incredible skills. While he started with an old keyboard and entertaining diss tracks about his high school classmates, Rel!g!on rapidly progressed into a respected producer working with artists from Vancouver to New York.
The future is bright for Rel!g!on, as he shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, with a number of impressive projects currently in the works for hip hop fans across North America. He produced two tracks on Planet Asia’s upcoming record Black Belt Theatre, which also features Raekwon of Wu-Tang, DJ Babu and Evidence of Dilated Peoples, Ras Kass and many more. Rel!g!on will also be at the helm for Planet Asia’s entire next full length, slated for 2011. This summer will also see the anticipated release of a collaboration record between Rel!g!on and one of Pittsburgh’s finest MCs, Jasiri X and New Orleans rapper/producer Dain. Check out his MySpace page for music videos and streaming audio, and Facebook for the latest information and updates.
