The story of this picture is the story of Hashemo's Haus
The other day I tried using AI to tell a story for the first time! I have to admit that I was impressed with the story; it was flawless. The flawlessness of the story reminded me of why I remain a staunch believer in telling one's own story using one's words no matter how flawed they appear to be. We are human, I am human and am thus flawed. I will not participate in society's new religion of flawless perfection that we are indirectly teaching our children. We offer them (the children) our destructive self-doubt/self-hate and hopelessness and we do it perfectly with the aid of AI. We present it perfectly rendered 3D images that they will never be able to live up to then sit back and wonder why they no longer like being in their imperfect little bodies. All the while we photoshop the images of ourselves. We do the same for them so they can make puppy ears and cat whiskers on apps. They can't be perfect humans but they can be perfectly cute little creatures. We teach them that from an early age. Who am I? What is my story? Where does this logo come from?
The Little Girl in the Blue Dress
The Little Girl in the Blue Dress in Hashemo's Haus's logo is just that. She is perfect in her imperfection as all children are! She goes by "The Little Girl in The Blue Dress" because that is what she is. She is not the smartest! She is not the cutest! She is not the fastest! She is a child! And like all children, she is capable of loving unconditionally. She loves the world and everything in it! She does not need to see it, in order to believe it! She listens intently and with an open heart to other children. When she is in pain she cries. When she is happy she laughs. She is blessed with a family that she refers to as "The Human Fanily", so when she is hungry eats. When others are hungry she feeds. She doesn't preach the principles of empathy, she lives them.
She is not perfect. She fibs and when she wants to win, she sometimes cheats. When the Little Girl in The Blue Dress first came to me, I wept. I am weeping as I write this. I know that she is not always understood. I know that the world will try and rip her away from me and exploit her as we often do with the children of the world as we were exploited as children. That is why I chose her to be the logo of Hashemo' Haus. She is 2D and imperfect. She is as imperfect and flawed as I am.
My Story
My name is Leonard Nimoy Slater and I am a 56-year-old military veteran and rapper who resides in Germany. I have been teaching Business English (as a second language) to business professionals and regulators for over 20 years. I am a father and a grandfather. I am a brother and son, and though I'm currently separated, I have been a husband for 35 years. I went through Department of Defence and Baltimore's public school systems as a child. My memories of my early childhood are fond. If I play a role in making any child on this planet happy, and I do, then I am living the dream. I am not rich in the literal sense of the word. But I have found my purpose and people like Patrick Hughes, Mechthild Krohn-Grossmann, my son Jamil Slater and readers like you are helping me to live my purpose.
Rapper
When I say that I am a rapper, only people my age plus or minus a few years will remember me from Baltimore's 1360 (WEBB on the AM dial ) and the house parties of mid-early 80s Baltimore.
Here in Europe (Germany) where I reside I was on Milli Vanilli's second Album. Most people in the USA don't know that the second album even exists. The producer (Frank Farian) refused to change the name after the scandal and he also refused to remove a special guest rapper from Baltimore (Icy Bro) yours truly. I have performed with Eros Ramazottie another popstar that most American readers will not be familiar with. In the early 90's I had the pleasure of touring with Los Angeles's AMG. My lyrics were always too geopolitical for mainstream rap in America. I couldn't bring myself to be anybody's nigga or embrace the term though I don't condemn those that use it. Lyrics have always mattered to me. That's why it was so easy for me to transition into teaching English as a second language.
The Lucky Mushroom
I created Lucky about 7 years ago. Originally it was intended to be a platform for artists. It was supposed to be a real alternative to the traditional way of doing business in the recording industry.
It has since evolved into a platform for teaching kids English. English that is untarnished by political, religious, or even social ideologies. He is one of The Little Girl in Blue Dress's closest companions. Together they navigate the world playfully engaging children.
We are at the beginning of our journey.
Why Reggae?
To me, reggae has always been the music of love, hope, and peace. That has always been a consistent component of the music; just listen to the lyrics. Even the protest is one of peace but it never calls for the listener to be a lamb amongst the wolves. Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldier" has always resonated with me. I think that Marley understood what I have also always understood. The Buffalo soldier is good at but not keen on killing. The Buffalo Soldier, that dreadlock rasta, has always kept in his heart the belief that if the killing would end the children of God would be free to be children. He is a warrior so the children will not have to be. It keeps him going. The Buffalo Soldier knows that the color of your skin and your flag do not matter. He is fighting for survival and was fighting on arrival. Every veteran trains for the war that he/she hopes will not ever happen. The Buffalo soldier was in the middle of that very war. He was not proud of his victories like my grandfather (a World War II Vet) was not proud of his. But he fought the good fight for the future and was not blinded as some might think by the politicians and interests that caused the war.
Reggae for me represents the dichotomy that is at the heart of America's existence; a soldier who has taken up arms for peace; joining a cause that others (mostly civilians) claim is just empty rhetoric. He is aware that others think he is a fool for doing so. His faith in God and his willingness to sacrifice for the greater good is too strong to ignore. I could go on for days about what that song means to me and why I think that Marley wrote it. I will leave it at this. My lyrics have always been about what I know. I know myself and I know God. Knowing God is a personal relationship that each individual must have on their own terms. It can not and should not be forced. I would fight for that and so would/ does reggae. Reggae will always be a part of Hashemo's Haus.
I hope to see you at a fun fundraiser soon! I am really looking forward to Little Rock and Tulsa in September with Steel Pulse. I would like to thank Anthony B, The Born Fire Band, DJ Mucho, Kapitol Stone, and last but not least Really Real Mckoy for helping us make fundraising fun once again!
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Leonard Nimoy Slater
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