Welcome to The AMcK Initiative, Inc. the home of "Initiative Radio with Angela McKenzie" and AngelaMckenzie.com

NOVEMBER 2010

ROBERTO "PLENA" IRIZARRY

NUYORICAN POET Leaving Ponce, Puerto Rico at the age of four, Roberto "Plena" Irizarry moved to the Bronx to encounter a new life. He is a follower and proud member of the Nuyorican movement, which emerged on the street by Puerto Ricans who needed a new form of self-government and new communication techniques that the police couldn't decipher, to share experiences of the pain, horror, and struggle of destitution surrounding them. It has since evolved to represent freedom of expression. Irizarry has taken advantage of his artistic abilities and talents and is a musician, poet and videographer. Growing up with Catholicism and its' strict mandates in seminary school affects much of his poetry. He has decided that he does not need a building or an intermediary to have an intimate relationship with God. He speaks about the origin of the middle name he gave himself, "Plena" and what it means to embody the spirit of Ponce, Puerto Rico - the home of the popular Plena music and other Afro-Spanish rhythms. Puerto Rican food, drinks, music, poetry, the people and land itself have shaped Irizarry and infused his spirit with confidence and pride and he shares his experiences with Angela McKenzie.
http://www.archive.org/details/IR-10-15&reCache=1

TOM BOYD & ANN STERNBERG
Rock 'n Roots

SPIRIT It's not about denominations. It's not about dogma. It's about SPIRIT on this classic edition of RocknRoots. The power of Wilson Pickett. . .the wonderful burnished sound of the Zion Harmonizers. . .John Coltrane. . .Five Blind Boys. . .and many, many others. The music rings true and clean and organic - one way to go forward in search of the things that unite us, not divide us. And stay to the end for Aaron Neville and Johnny Adams!
http://www.archive.org/details/IR-10-14

SARGEANT RICARDO ROSADO
United States Marine Corps

Marine Toys for Tots Foundation This week Angela McKenzie speaks with Sgt. Ricardo Rosado, an active duty Marine for seven years, as he explains his role in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and its' Marine Toys for Tots initiatives during the holiday season. Toys for Tots was founded by Colonel William Hendricks and his wife Diane, when they realized there was no charitable organization in existence that gave toys to needy children. Ever since, it has been the mission of the Marines to continue this legacy of giving hope and shiney new toys to underprivileged children. Sgt. Rosado also speaks about other Marine-led community initiatives; about the tough recruiting process and he gives insights on combat and weapons training, leadership courses and bootcamp. Then Angela digs for the answer as to why women are still not allowed to serve in combat positions, although they are allowed to serve and perform other much needed roles.
http://www.archive.org/details/IR-10-13 LEONARD CASSARA

PSYCHIC/INTUITIVE Association for Research & Enlightenment (NYC)

Edgar Cayce Health and Wellness Center In this episode of Initiative Radio, Angela McKenzie sits down with Leonard Cassara to discuss his involvement with the Association for Research and Enlightenment and the great influence that the founder and spiritual leader, Edgar Cayce, had on him. Edgar Cayce, known as the father of holistic medicine for some, used psychic abilities to help himself and others become closer to God and to bring people's consciousness into awareness through the A.R.E. organization, which was established in the 1920's. Cassara and Cayce both went against their childhood teachings of mainstream faiths like Christianity and Catholicism, and conquered a world which they never knew existed through hypnosis and Tarot cards.
Learn about how Cassara reached the turning point in his life, all in one day, through his speaking to God and demanding answers, and receiving those answers through divine signs and messages. How he went from being agnostic, unhappy and not content with life, to finding God, achieving his dreams of fulfillment and becoming one of the leading members of the A.R.E. His message and inspirational demeanor can count as an example for us all to be thankful for, try to find, or at least consider, spirituality in some way, shape or form. Cassara talks about the type of Tarot cards he uses in his readings for clients and their hidden meanings, his predictions and their occurrences, and even Angela gets a reading!
http://www.archive.org/details/IR-10-12