Binkis Weblog

My homie Goldie Gold posted a Petey Greene segment a while ago where he was showing people how to eat that Watermelon. I think I’m gonna post that again. Petey was a unique individual and He did a lot for his community just by honestly communicating with them. I was watching Independent Lens last night and there was a special on the homie. I’ve seen the flick based on his life but seeing the real Petey Greene is a whole other experience. Check out more info at www.peteygreene.com and peep some of the clips I’m going to post. Enjoy and eat safely. FISKKKKKKKKKKK!!

Bio(from www.peteygreene.com):

Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene ( January 23,1931- January 10,1984) was an African American radio, television, and media personality, activist and hero. As a radio disc jockey, Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene Jr. was a beacon of societal truth for two decades in the black community of Washington D.C. Petey wasn’t afraid to “tell it like it is” as he spoke out about social injusticies and championed racial pride and equality during a time of radical change in America.

“Petey”Greene was born and raised in Washington, D.C. His childhood was spent at 23rd and L Streets NW in an era of depression and poverty. He was raised by his maternal grandmother, Maggie “A’nt Pig” Floyd, and attended Stevens Elementary School. He dropped out of high school in the eleventh grade and enlisted in the U.S. Army. His tour of duty sent him overseas to fight in the Korean War before being discharged in 1953 for drug abuse. Upon his return home he began to drink heavily. In 1960, he was convicted of armed robbery at a small grocery store, and imprisoned at Lorton Reformatory with a ten-year sentence.

While in prision, Petey began to hone his skills as a disc jockey in Lorton’s work program. Using the P.A. system, he was allowed twenty minutes each morning and evening to address his fellow inmates. His garrulous delivery, infused with the flavor of the street, resonated with the inmates. Captilizing on his trusted voice, Greene persuaded a fellow inmate to climb to the top of a water tower to threaten suicide so that he would be able to “save his life” by talking him down. “It took me six months to get him to go up there,” he later recalled. This percieved act of herioism, combined with his generally good behavior allowed for his release in 1965.

Soon after his release, Petey was hired by Dewey Hughes, the program director for the radio station WOL-AM. Dewey first became aware of Petey’s talent during a chance meeting in Lorton prison as he was visiting his brother, a fellow inmate. Taking a big chance with his own career, Dewey believed in Petey’s voice and put him on the air. “Rapping With Petey Greene” was an immediate hit with the urban community and eventually became a daily staple. His appeal rapidly grew, and he soon found himself hosting his own television show, “Petey Green’s Washington”, on WDCA-AM. On March 8,1978 he was invited as a guest to the White House by President Jimmy Carter to honor visiting Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito. He famously quipped to the Washington Post that he “stole a spoon” during the evening gala.

Concurrent with his radio career , television was another natural media outlet for Petey. He co-hosted the local show “Where It’s At” which addressesed employment issues and opputunities for the African American community. In addition, his public access television program “Petey’ Greene’s Washington” aired in the city for many years, providing an expanded forum for his community outreach, commentary, and street flavored humor. “Adjust the color of your television” was his intro to the program. Amoung the thousands of devout listeners that Petey impacted daily, he also made an impression on future radio and television personality, Howard Stern. During an appearance on “Petey Green’s Washington,” Howard stated, “ I have learned more from your show….I listen to your show and (when) I go on I use your material.” Petey quipped, “ They might not like us but they don’t change the dial.”

Petey not only counselled from the airwaves but was a fully engaged and a visible citizen. Soon after his release from Lorton prison, he founded “Efforts for Ex-Convicts” EFFEC an organization devoted to helping former prisoners succeed in legitimate ways. His efforts helped to house ex-convicts, provide conuseling, and job support. He became a community activist, working for the non-profit United Planning Orgianization which provided human services to the people of D.C. The Organization later named its Congress heights office (in Southeastern D.C.) The Ralph Waldo Petey Greene Community Service Center. He railed against poverty and racism on his shows and on the streets, participating in demonstrations during the height of his popularity.

After his death from cancer, 10,000 mourners lined up, in below freezing conditions, outside Washington’s Union Wesley AME Zion Church to pay their last respects. This was the largest memorial service gathering for a non-government official in D.C.’s history. Greene had four children—Ralph, Petra, Renee, and Melanie. He is portrayed by Don Cheadle in the 2007 film Talk To Me, which is based on his life.

This is a article I caught on www.kabbalaonline.org. It’s about the spirituality of eating and how what you eat can affect your body peep the joint. I’m only posting some parts of the article because it’s long as fuck but good info. You can either click on the link above or at the end of the post. The article was written by Yaakov-Shmuel Levinson. BLAMMMMMM!!

Introduction – A disclaimer

I am writing as a nutritionist viewing the spiritual aspects of eating and not as a Torah authority. All statements regarding the spiritual aspects of eating are included with sources to emphasize my role as a “collector” and not as an original author or authority in the field. My intention is to reveal to the reader spiritual aspects of eating against a biological background.

Why Do We Eat?

When asked why they eat, people usually respond, “I eat when I’m hungry,” “I eat when something looks or smells good,” or “I eat when it’s time for the next meal.” For many, the routine of eating is an agony to minimize or avoid by skipping breakfast or using instant powders or fast foods. Others snack through the day without ever sitting down to a meal! In this paper we shall examine what really happens when we eat – from both spiritual and physical points of view.

Hunger and Appetite Mechanisms

Hunger is defined as an uneasy sensation caused by want of food. Appetite is the complex of sensations by which an organism is aware of its desire for food. The physical basis of hunger is regulated by the “feeding center” in the hypothalamic portion of the brain.

The appetite-regulating mechanism in a normal human being adjusts food intake to the point where caloric intake balances the output of energy. This maintains body weight.

Thirst, the desire to drink, is regulated by the hypothalamic osmoreceptors of the brain. A dry sensation in the mouth also motivates a person to drink.

The physical basis of hunger and thirst has been well proven. However, the psychological motivating factors are often the overriding influence driving one to eat or drink too much. Most habitual eating is unrelated to hunger. It is more related to one’s surroundings, including the present of reminders of food, or to one’s emotional state. In short, we often eat for many reasons besides that of satisfying our physical need for food!

Components of Food

It is clear that the soul is not nourished by physical bread as the body is. The food we eat is actually a combination of both a physical and a spiritual entity. The body is nourished by the physical aspects, or nutrients, contained in the foods we eat; the soul is nourished by the spiritual power, or sparks of holiness, which enliven the physical substance of all matter, including food. Therefore, body and soul are united in the act of eating. ( Ruach Chaim on Pirkay Avot, chapter 3, mishna 3; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 6:1, and see Magen Avraham on verse 4 there)

We have seen that all of Creation is composed of a mixture of good and evil. Likewise, in every food that a person eats there is a combination of good and evil. Food physically consists of good counterparts, i.e. nutrients, and bad aspects, i.e. waste or indigestible matter. Likewise, spiritually, food contains sparks of holiness, or good components, and husks, or kelipot, which are the gross, bad components that encompass the sparks.

Physical Origins: The Nutrients

Where does food come from? Plants grow by effectively combining sunlight, water, and soil. Animals feed on plant and/or animals. Humans obtain their food from mineral, vegetable, and animal sources.

Our food contains 40-45 substances known as nutrients, which we must consume in adequate amounts in order to grow and lead a healthy life. These nutrients enter our bodies from the food we eat and are converted into thousands of substances necessary for life…

Digestion of Food

Food is first introduced into the mouth, where it is chewed by the teeth in order to break up large food particles and to mix it with saliva, thus beginning the process known as digestion. The food is then propelled into the esophagus by the tongue with the aid of the swallowing mechanism. The food travels down the esophagus until it reaches the stomach. Food is stored in the stomach, mixed with acid and other digestive juices, and released at a controlled, steady rate into the entrance of the small intestine, where it is digested further and absorbed in the small intestine, the intestinal contents are mixed with pancreatic juice, bile and other secretions.

The intestinal contents continue down the long, winding tube of the small intestine until they pass into the thick tube of the large intestine, the main function of which is to absorb water, salt and other minerals, and certain vitamins. Stool containing inorganic (non-carbon containing) material, undigested plant fibers, bacteria, and water are excreted from the body through the rectum.

Absorption of Food

Although limited amounts of water, alcohol, simple salts, and glucose are absorbed through the stomach wall, the small intestine is by far the most important organ for absorption. Absorption into the small intestine consists primarily of the transfer of nutrients from the lumen of the small intestine through the cells lining the intestinal wall into the wall of the intestine (the lamina propria). From there the nutrients enter the blood and lymph vessels. The nutrients are then carried to all parts of the body through the bloodstream. The waste materials are eliminated from the body via stool, urine, sweat, and expired air. The small intestine, then, is the main site of selection of the nutrients for use in the body, leaving the waste for eventual elimination. (More Here)!