The Los Angeles Pobladores, or “townspeople,” were a group of 44 settlers and four soldiers from Mexico who established the famed city in 1781 in what is now California. The settlers came from various Spanish castes, with over half of the group being of African descent. Governor of Las Californias, a Spanish-owned region, Felipe de Neve called on 11 families to help build the new city in the region by recruiting them from Sonora and Sinaloa, Mexico. According to a census record taken at the time, there were two persons of African ancestry, eight Spanish and Black persons, and nine American Indians. There was also one Spanish and Indian person, with the rest being Spaniards. According to the efforts of historian William M. Mason, the actual racial makeup of the pobladores was perhaps more racially balanced than not. Mason wrote that of the 44, only two were White, while 26 had some manner of African ancestry and that 16 of the group were “mestizos” or mixed Spanish and Indian people. SOURCE: Face2FaceAfrica https://face2faceafrica.com/article/los-angeles-pobladores #Mexico #LosAngeles #California #Mexican #AfroLatino #AfricanHistory #BlackHistory #TheAHNShow #Spain #AfricanDescent #Spanish

1. Obnoxious Meaning: Extremely unpleasant or annoying. Example: His obnoxious behavior made everyone uncomfortable. 2. Hypocritical Meaning: Saying one thing but doing another. Example: She criticized others for lateness but arrived late herself. 3. Calculating Meaning: Acting with cold, strategic self-interest. Example: His kindness felt calculating rather than genuine. 4. Derisive Meaning: Mocking or showing open disrespect. Example: He made a derisive comment during the discussion. 5. Overbearing Meaning: Excessively controlling or domineering. Example: Her overbearing attitude silenced the team. 6. Disingenuous Meaning: Not sincere; pretending honesty. Example: His apology sounded disingenuous. 7. Resentful Meaning: Holding bitterness over past issues. Example: She felt resentful about being overlooked. 8. Imperious Meaning: Arrogantly commanding or bossy. Example: His imperious tone offended colleagues. 9. Unprincipled Meaning: Lacking moral standards. Example: He took the deal despite knowing it was unethical.

Everyone around you is a strategist angling for power, all trying to promote their own interests, often at your expense.

4 brutally honest reminders from Plato: 1. Most people mistake shadows for reality 2. Ignorance feels comfortable — truth doesn’t 3. Discipline is freedom, not restriction 4. If you don’t train your character, power will corrupt you

UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTHS ABOUT PEOPLE: 1. Most kindness hides an agenda. 2. Love fades when respect disappears. 3. Confidence is often a mask for anxiety. 4. People crave validation more than truth. 5. Attention is the purest form of currency. 6. The one who talks less controls the frame. 7. Silence during conflict is psychological dominance. 8. Those who need control secretly fear abandonment. 9. People remember how you made them feel, not what you said.

There are incredible psychological benefits to having a highly-disciplined mind. Never underestimate the importance of this.

Robert Downey Jr. photographed after being sentenced to 3 years in prison for possession of cocaine, heroin and a gun, 1999. In 1999, actor Robert Downey Jr. appeared in court wearing an orange jumpsuit, his once-glamorous career in ruins. The photo captured the lowest point of a man once hailed as one of Hollywood’s most gifted talents. After a string of arrests for drug possession in the late 1990s, Downey was sentenced to three years in prison following multiple violations of his probation. His descent mirrored a decade of personal chaos, addiction, relapses, and tabloid scrutiny that made him a cautionary tale about fame and self-destruction. But it wasn’t the end. After serving his sentence and struggling through recovery, Downey returned to acting in the early 2000s, rebuilding his reputation role by role. Less than a decade after this photo, he would reemerge as Tony Stark in Iron Man (2008), launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe and one of the greatest career comebacks in Hollywood history. Added Fact: In 2008, Time magazine named Robert Downey Jr. one of the 100 most influential people in the world — less than ten years after his release from prison.

They feel so stupid because they underestimated you and because they thought they were better than you.

Never underestimate the privilege of clean water, hot showers, full stomachs and a safe home.

Never underestimate what time and effort can build. Even small steps taken consistently can create something extraordinary.