Although it is proffered by many that the Modern Civil Rights Movement began in the Mississippi Delta with the Chronicle of Emmet Till in 1955, Honest History tells us a different Story. The true, initial, and official Civil Rights Movement began many years earlier in 1860 with The War of Emancipation for Black Americans, otherwise termed, The Civil War.

Interestingly, The Mississippi Delta also played a pivotal role in this initial and official war for the Civil Rights of Black Americans.

At the Time of the War of Emancipation for Black Americans, Mississippi was one of the wealthiest States in the Country based primarily on its Cotton crop and the enslaved Blacks who toiled the Cotton Fields particularly in The Mississippi Delta. Mississippi essentially financed the operations of the Civil War for the Confederate Government. Vicksburg was essentially the Capital of the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis former Mississippi Senator was the first and only President of the South and Government of the Confederate States of America. Helena Arkansas a Delta Town, was a Union stronghold, a refuge for thousands of freed slaves, and the training center and base of the first Black Regiments of the Union Military Forces.

The era of Reconstruction after the Civil War was designed to afford Black Americans the Right to Vote and a role in the governance of the reconstructed Union. The only two Black United States Senators during this period were both from the State of Mississippi.

The following excerpt from the Visit Mississippi Website is instructive. https://visitmississippi.org/things-to-do/history-culture/

'……African-American history in Mississippi is older than the state itself. The earliest African-Americans were brought here as slaves before statehood in 1817.

Less than a half-century after Mississippi was granted statehood, the nation erupted in Civil War. The war brought emancipation, and the slow road to civil rights began. In 1870, Hiram Revels of Natchez became the first African-American to serve in the United States Senate — even though African-Americans had not yet gained the right to vote and continued to live in a segregated society. Years later, Mississippians such as Ida B. Wells, Medgar Evers and James Meredith would help lead the charge to a more equal society.

Other African-Americans hailing from Mississippi would make major contributions to American culture. William Grant Still of Woodville, a prolific and respected classical composer, became the first African-American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra and the first to have a symphonic composition performed by a major orchestra. Richard Wright would become one of the leading writers of his generation, and later William Raspberry and Natasha Trethewey would win Pulitzer Prizes. The imprint that these and other African-American Mississippians have made on American history and culture continues to impact and enrich our lives today.

…….When Emmett Till was murdered in 1955, the people of Mississippi found themselves at the forefront of one of the most pivotal periods of American history. This tragic event is widely considered the igniting spark of the modern Civil Rights movement. While the death of Emmett Till made national headlines, it was not the only event to set the scene for this great struggle. Only months before Till’s death, Reverend George Lee of Belzoni was assassinated after registering to vote. Other events in Mississippi, from the murder of Medgar Evers in 1963 to the killing of the three Civil Rights workers in Neshoba County the following year, rallied those involved with the Civil Rights movement and brought more people to the cause. Half a century later, Mississippi is the embodiment of changing times. Today, Mississippi has more elected African-American officials than any other state in the country, as the civil rights movement continues as a strong element of political, social and daily life.

…….In a sense, the history of Mississippi is the history of America. It begins in prehistoric times, when vast herds of buffalo trampled and “traced” out a route known as the Natchez Trace. This same path would later be traveled by Native Americans, traders, missionaries, and early pioneers. Chickasaw and Choctaw, Scotch and Irish, slaves, and settlers have all called Mississippi home. Mississippi grew up with our nation. When the Mississippi Territory became the 20th state to join the union in 1817, it was comprised largely of the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. With statehood came an influx of Europeans – largely English, Scottish, and Irish – who sought opportunity in what was then the frontier of a rapidly growing country. The Magnolia State continued to leave its imprint on America, playing a pivotal role in the Civil War and later serving as the setting for some of the landmark events in the struggle for Civil Rights. Today, Mississippi is regarded as a unique and rich intersection of history, architecture, commerce, culture, and the arts.'

The Culture of the Mississippi Delta also played a pivotal role in the War for the Civil Rights of Black Americans. This culture as we know it today is rooted in the Area’s role as the Birthplace of American Music. The Blues, Country Music, Rock & Roll and Gospel all have their roots in Mississippi. Blues Music in particular is uniquely a Civil Rights phenomena and a critical element in the progress and impact of Black Americans on the Culture, History and Economy of the United States and The World.

The State of Mississippi has consolidated and documented the contributions and important artifacts of its music, literary, and civil rights chronicles and legends in Official Trails, Tours and Festivals throughout the State, facilitating the presentation and touring of these sites for visitors, tourists and researchers. Millions of people visit Mississippi annually for these purposes.

Civil Rights, The War & The Blues is an Honest History Tour, and an important part of telling The Honest History of The Mississippi Delta, The United States, and The World. 

By NEIL HARTNELL
December 22, 2016

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

#The Democratic National Alliance’s (DNA) leader yesterday lamented that too few Bahamians understand the ‘junk’ downgrade’s significance, and will only wake-up when Miami shopping trips are priced beyond their means.

#Branville McCartney told Tribune Business that many Bahamians would only realise what they had lost when it was “too late”, and the currency already devalued, as a result of the country’s inability to reverse its economic and fiscal course.

#The newly-appointed Senate Opposition leader likened Standard & Poor’s (S&P) action to “a charcoal present under the Christmas tree”, and predicted that it would further deter Bahamian and foreign investment in this nation.

#With domestic private sector activity likely to slow ahead of the upcoming general election, Mr McCartney predicted that the Bahamas’ loss of ‘investment grade’ status would make “very nervous and afraid” businesses even more reluctant to invest and create jobs.

#Suggesting that S&P’s ‘junk downgrade’ had placed the Bahamas in a “nerve-wracking” position, the DNA chief said ‘economic growth’ had become more a ‘turn of phrase’ than something this nation “put into effect”.

#“It’s a present from S&P. It is like charcoal under the Christmas tree,” Mr McCartney told Tribune Business of the downgrade to ‘speculative’ or ‘junk’ status.

#“Our Government was warned about this. We have seen that the Government continues to be off-base with regard to their projections for this economy.

#“There’s been nothing put in place to curb our spending and the wastage going on in this country. We can expect more of these types of downgrades if the Government doesn’t put certain measures in place to eliminate the corruption that’s going on, collect our outstanding taxes and make sure we put the VAT money where it is supposed to go.”

#Mr McCartney, though, expressed concern that many Bahamians may not appreciate the significance of S&P’s actions and how it could impact them personally, especially through reduced resources for public services, potential private sector retrenchment and job losses.

#“That is going to be the obvious cost that will probably happen as a result of the change; we’re going to have to pay more for our borrowing,” the DNA leader agreed.

#“It affects this country in every which way as a result. The unfortunate thing is that Bahamians, for the most part, don’t recognise the significance of this. The only time they will realise the significance is when they can’t go to Miami, because it costs them four times’ more, as the Bahamian dollar will be nowhere what it’s worth now.

#“That’s probably the only time they will realise and ask: What the hell has happened? By then it’ll be too late.”

#The ‘junk’ downgrade, and loss of ‘investment grade’ status, is potentially highly damaging for the Bahamas and its reputation for economic stability, as it signals to the international capital markets that this nation’s creditworthiness (the Government’s ability to pay its debts) is slipping into dangerous territory.

#The Government will likely have to pay more for current and future debt issues, raising its debt servicing (interest) costs, and sucking money away from essential public and security services

#The ‘junk’ downgrade may also deter investors assessing the Bahamas as a place to invest, as it raises questions about the Government’s economic management.

#Mr McCartney acknowledged that S&P’s ‘junk downgrade’ would make existing and potential foreign investors “think twice” about undertaking expansion projects in the Bahamas, adding this would also likely apply to locally-owned businesses.

#“Local businesses - like they were before - are likely to think twice now about investing to grow and expand,” the DNA leader added. “They’re nervous and afraid.

#“The economy typically slows before elections, but in light of this downgrade it’s going to slow even more, causing our country to be in a position where ‘economic growth’ is a term used, not something that is put into effect. It’s very nerve-wracking.”

#Mr McCartney repeated his party’s call for Prime Minister Perry Christie to make a national address outlining the practical steps the Government plans to take in response to S&P’s action, “and give us some comfort on this”.

#The Government’s initial reaction, though, was to pin all its hopes on the Baha Mar project finally opening and creating several thousand new Bahamian jobs. The rest of its statement was typically vague, and short on detail in terms of growth and job-creating initiatives.

#Slamming the Government for being ‘all talk and no action’, Mr McCartney told Tribune Business: “The Prime Minister is the best talker in the world, but when it comes to execution and getting things done, he goes into reverse.”

#Acknowledging that “the warning signs” for a ‘junk’ downgrade had been building for decades, and across both PLP and FNM administrations, Mr McCartney said S&P had indicated what the Bahamas needed to do to avoid this latest action when its representatives met with the DNA in the summer.

#“The Government did nothing, nothing, nothing,” he charged. “We’re teetering on the edge of collapse.

#“Personally, being a Bahamian, I’m very, very concerned. I know many other business persons, professionals and foreign investors who live here are concerned.

#“The Government seems devoid of ideas, and not to have the political will to get our economy back on track.”

An Interesting Comment

Here is a lesson in Downgrade101. The foreign-currency denominated sovereign bonds are held by institutions like the Royal Bank. The banks/buyers flog them to companies like Goldman Sachs. These are fixed rate, high interest bonds & with a good rating, they should be hot commodities. Buyers such as pension funds & hedge funds buy these things if the credit rating is good.

Typically what Goldman Sachs does, is buy a basket of bonds of similar types -say Caribbean Sovereign Debt. They collaterized these, meaning put them in 1 basket & sell them as investment grade securities. This is a CDO or collaterized debt obligation. They sell shares of this CDO.

Now what happens if the credit rating of the issuers of these bonds falls? The underlying financial investments -the CDO falls in value, because the danger of default rises. Holders of these buy/sell Credit Default Swaps. In other words, they buy insurance against a country defaulting on its debt. Because they buy insurance & pay monthly, this digs into the yield of the interest rate.

2 things can happen. They can push for bond redemption. This means that the government has to come up with the money to buy back these bonds. The government is already stretched for cash & if they get a bill for $300 million, then we are fooked. We don't have the cash & we can't borrow it, because our credit is shiite, so we default & that means eating pigeon & coconut for the lucky ones.

The other option is that the bond is non-redeemable. It sells for pennies on the dollar in the secondary market. They may be strip bonds with coupons, meaning that some of the interest is payable in that year before maturity. The government is also fooked in this scenario, because strip bond coupon redemption on a $300 million bond is anywhere between $15 & $30 million depending on the interest rate & we know that the government couldn't come up with the $40 million to save BoB without more debt, so we are fooked again & facing default.

The last scenario is that the bond is non-redeemable by the holder, but because the holders are buying CD Swaps or insurance, it is not worth the paper that it is printed on when that bond is either traded, or a collaterized version is traded on the secondary market. When it comes due, we are fooked again. It just puts of the bending over for a few years on just this bond.

The bottom line is that some of the debt denominated in American dollars is held as reserves by the Central Bank. If the prospect of default rises, the world's bankers will demand that we have more reserves. We can't come up with them because tourism is down, the economy is not growing & we are fooked. So the Bahamian dollar is devalued. It will probably go down to between 25 and 35 cents & some economists peg the real value at 12 cents on the US dollar. $9 Bahamian dollars will buy one US Dollar

Internet based business development and operations have become a necessity for successful operation of any  business entity. The National Market Exchange Franchise opportunity affords applicable businesses and individual entrepreneurs various types of NMEX Franchises which when managed properly should produce excellent and profitable opportunities.

NMEX Franchises include a fully developed marketing automation NMEX online presence stocked and monetized with applicable affiliate marketing products and services within the Franchisee's industry of choice. 

The Franchisee's primary role is to manage the online business and to provide the necessary Internet marketing processes for continued development and marketing of the Business. The Franchisee will have access to the full complement of NMEX publishing and marketing tools in managing and marketing the Franchise.

Franchisees enter into a Franchise agreement with NMEX based on the Franchisee's choice of industry and means of operations. The minimum Franchise Initial Establishment Fee begins at six thousand dollars ($6,000), with an annual Franchise Fee of ten percent (10%) of annual gross revenue. Other options and operational bases for Franchise establishment are negotiable.

NMEX Franchises may be limited based on industry, jurisdictional and other contractual limitations, including licensing capabilities.

Requests for further information on the availability of NMEX Franchises should be directed to nmex@hannaian.com.

NMEX is the best choice for your Internet Marketing Base
NMEX is an excellent platform to host your primary or secondary websites, but more important you should have a presence on NMEX as your base for internet and affiliate marketing activities, even if you host your primary and secondary websites elsewhere on the Internet or on social media. Internet Marketing is the most important factor in modern global marketing campaigns. Once you establish a primary and secondary website somewhere on the Internet you must still establish an ongoing and consistent Internet marketing campaign and presence to promote your products and services. NMEX allows you to host both your primary and secondary websites, and your Internet marketing base all on one platform.

If you are trying to sell, market or promote anything over the Internet you must utilize the Seven (7) Priorities of Internet Marketing to be successful.

These Seven (7) Priorities of Internet Marketing based on their relative levels of importance are as follows:

Internet Marketing Priority
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of Content
2. Targeted Email Marketing (TEM)
3. Data Mining & Auto Posting (DMAP)
4. Content Affiliate Marketing (CAM)
5. Product Affiliate Marketing (PAM)
6. Paid Advertising (PA)
7. Social Media Networking (SMN)

The first step in implementing these priorities is having an Internet site, presence and marketable content which is SEO and Internet Marketing Primed and globally competitive.

NMEX based sites are unique and different from non-Internet Primed Marketing Sites because of the following major attributes: 

1. All NMEX sites are Internet Marketing Automation Primed (IMAP) - Internet Marketing Automation utilizes processes which allow promotion and marketing of material in an automated fashion, reducing time and effort in marketing campaigns.
2. NMEX Sites are primed for hosting your Primary Domain Name - While you may not have the resources, expertise and time to build and maintain a globally competitive Internet Marketing Automation Primed (IMAP) website for your Primary Domain Name (e.g. www.nationalmarketreport.com), you will be able to direct your Primary Domain Name to your NMEX based and hosted website (e.g. www.nationalmex.com/report) and receive all of the benefits of a fully domained website with NMEX Internet Marketing Automation Primed (IMAP) capabilities.
3. NMEX Sites are easily structured and Search Engine Optimized (SEO) - Full (Primary) Market and After (Secondary) Market Search Engine Optimization of sites and content is the top priority of professional Internet Marketers because it utilizes organic search processes to passively bring traffic to the site and content.
4. They are fully integrated into a marketplace environment designed with integrated marketing tools and services - The NMEX Platform is an integrated marketplace which contains many tools and services to assist registrants in marketing, promoting and selling their products, services and NMEX website.
5. They are Data Capture Ready (DCR) - Data Capture and Mining is one of the top priorities of Internet Marketing Experts. All content pages on NMEX are designed to easily capture visitor contact information, preferences and interests.
6. They are Image Opportunized, FotoOpps capable - Pictures are worth a thousand words, Videos a thousand pictures, NMEX sites are opportunized to utilize images to assist in marketing campaigns. A special NMEX program called FotoOpps further assists in utilizing images to affiliate market NMEX based products and services.
7. They are Content Marketing Ready - Relevant and Interesting Content is the hallmark of modern Internet Marketing in the highly competitive Internet marketing environment. NMEX Sites have numerous ways to display and layout content, and afford sophisticated organization of content in various formats which is essential for proper Internet Marketing and SEO efforts.
8. They are Affiliate Marketing Optimized - Affiliate Marketing is the hidden gem in Internet Marketing and Sales. Experts and various studies reveal that a fast increasing percentage of all Internet sales are now accomplished through one or more Affiliate Marketing processes. An increasing cadre of talented independent Affiliate Marketers are constantly setting the standards in Internet Marketing. All studies show that Internet Marketing is currently the most important way to sell products and services either directly or indirectly, but now increasingly accomplished through Affiliate Internet Marketing. All NMEX sites, tools, and services are optimized for Affiliate Marketing.
9. They are Community & Social Media capable - The NMEX Platform is built with a combination of unique state of the art Content Management Systems (CMS), and Community/Social Media Technology which allows non technical, non coding users to build and update their NMEX website and content. It also provides for a significant amount of interactivity between registered users, site visitors, and other Community and Social Media platforms and sites. This interactivity and ability for users to easily post information, images and even build and customize their own websites without coding and technical expertise is a most important factor in keeping NMEX websites relevant and constantly updated. This capability also significantly reduces the need for expensive professional Information Technology (IT) assistance and the associated costs of operations.
10. NMEX provides compartmentalized operations for Users and Registrants in any field or industry - While NMEX is a comprehensive platform which provides sophisticated integrated tools and services for the general development of any business effort, the platform can be utilized with a compartmentalized approach, keeping each site and business essentially distinct from others at the Users discretion. Users therefore need not concern themselves with the broader purpose and functions of the total Platform, and instead primarily focus on their own niche and industry within the Business Development Exchange.
11. NMEX Sites are Userpoints (Nupits) enabled - Registered Users on NMEX automatically accumulate Userpoints (Nupits) for productive utilization of their Sites, based on a special algorithm. Nupits can be beneficially utilized in many ways. They can be used to redeem awards, or as a type of Exchange based currency to negotiate and pay for Nupit enabled transactions on the exchange. This is a powerful feature of NMEX Sites which significantly adds to the business development and marketing efforts of NMEX Registered Entities.
12. NMEX Sites are free and easy to build and maintain - The combination of tools, services and marketing expertise available on NMEX are completely free with no need to upgrade to a subscription level for most Registrants. This is basically unmatched elsewhere, and a most important benefit in reducing the tremendous costs and need for professional services in developing a business in the highly competitive modern global business environment. 

These factors make NMEX platform based websites significantly different from most if not all Internet based marketing platform sites, and particularly very different from the many primarily Social Media based platforms and sites.

Similar to their counterparts on a stock exchange NMEX MarketMakers assist their clientele in making a market for their product or service on a National Market Business Development Exchange.

Marketmakers are important because they make a market for their clients' products and services, and facilitate the development of companies and producers.

NMEX MarketMakers are experts at structuring marketing campaigns and utilizing the Marketing Automation and Integrated Tools & Services available on the NMEX Platform to properly promote and market products and services.

MarketMakers operate independently of NMEX, except that they are specially subscribed to NMEX in order to utilize its platform in the representation of their clients' interests. They assist companies and producers who may need to outsource their marketing activities and who would like to use the marketing automation and integrated tools and services of NMEX.

Properly SEO'd and Market Primed sites and content allow searchers to see and find you at the time they are most interested in what you may have to promote or sell when they conduct their search. It avoids your having to conduct an active campaign to recruit and convince them to visit you. Also, it is therefore less obtrusive than all the other Internet marketing processes which require you to actively find and contact your prospective contacts, which in today's saturated modern marketing environment is a major hurdle to overcome in order to be effective. Such active campaigns often interrupt and irritate viewers, particularly if you are repeatedly pitching products to the same audience as in typical social media networking and marketing.

The power of the NMEX platform is that it allows the sites and content within the platform to be easily and flexibly SEO'd unlike most other platforms, and particularly those of the popular Social Media Sites which are almost impossible to independently SEO in any effective form. The inability to effectively and independently SEO sites and content on such platforms is a major reason they are not used by professional Internet marketers to hold their primary content.

Internet Marketing Priority
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of Content
2. Targeted Email Marketing (TEM)
3. Data Mining & Auto Posting (DMAP)
4. Content Affiliate Marketing (CAM)
5. Product Affiliate Marketing (PAM)
6. Paid Advertising (PA)
7. Social Media Networking (SMN)

The steps to effective SEO and Content Market Priming are covered in detail by several Videos in the Video section of this center.

Generally the following steps should be implemented:

1. It is extremely important that your profile page and any PinBoard used as the main page of your NMEX website or Content be properly SEOed. Your Profile description should be filled near the top of the description with the proper Long Tail Keywords related to your Site. You should use the Blog section to place your major articles and content. You may also use the Page section for content. The profile page should include the Latest Blog widget and Page widget so that there is a display of a list of your Blogs and Content directly on the Profile Page. The entire NMEX platform is effectively SEO'd through proprietary processes to make NMEX an Authoritative and Relevant Site for the various Search Engines. This process is continuously updated to keep current with changing SEO alogrithms. This is an important step in affording individual sites and content on the Platform with powerful general SEO coverage.
2. Ensure that the content to be SEO'd is unique, of high quality, and tied directly to important Googleized keywords and phrases as possible. Typically well written content of more than 300 words, with well described and attached photos and videos enhances this process. In establishing the appropriate keywords, phrases, authorities, and competition Google Keyword Planner has become the standard tool to utilize, along with Google Trends and others. This process is covered in detail in the Video section
3. Whenever budgets allow, appropriate domain urls should be purchased/obtained and pointed to your particular site and/or content on NMEX. This process is covered in detail in the Video section.
4. Blacklinks on Authority sites should be established. This process is covered in detail in the Video section
5. SEO on the Internet is effectively controlled by Google based practices, therefore the most important general Social Media Network to spend time and attention on for SEO purposes is utilization of your Google Plus account and its Authorship and Webmaster Tools provisions. Whenever possible, linkages should be routed through your Google Plus account to your website and content. SEO for secondary search purposes by sharing content on social media platforms with the automated NMEX sharing tools will facilitate search listings on these platforms.
6. Use of some third party SEO tools and software can sometimes be helpful.

Ultimately your affiliate and Internet marketing efforts will essentially consist of three (3) steps. First, creating a Point of Sale (POS) site, usually by using the NMEX market and/or voucher facility, then creating some type of Capture Content (CC) with a NMEX pinboard, blog, page, news item, map, or photo album, and finally conducting your Active Marketing Outreach (AMO) program and activities to bring internet traffic and potential buyers to your Capture Content and/or Point of Sale sites.

Marketing Integration & Automation (I&A) Tools & Strategies
To assist Registered Entities and Business Development Clients in implementing marketing programs and priorities NMEX provides sophisticated state of the art Marketing Integration & Automation (I&A) Tools & Strategies through its specially designed I&A marketing platform and online hub.

Sites built and hosted on the NMEX platform are specially primed for sophisticated Internet Marketing with Search Engine Optimize (SEO) Friendly, FotoOpp Ready (FOR) and Data Capture & Sharing Ready (DCSR) capabilities.

See more in the section on 'Just Being on NMEX Makes a Difference'