tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76485138608356307412024-03-13T21:13:01.489-05:00SaartjieTodayAhimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-85239352116326464002014-06-06T09:27:00.003-05:002014-06-06T09:35:43.380-05:00Flawed Premise – There is No Unity of Interest between Blacks and Gays<div class="MsoNormal">
A cluster of Black Baptist pastors are advancing the claim
that the struggle for democracy and justice for black Americans is not
identical with the similar quest for gays. He notes that gays could always
vote, use public water fountains-accommodations and gays escaped lynching’s and
mob violence.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This pronouncement occurred about the same time that a
mysterious gay baiting letter from an unknown black minister started appearing
in the mailbox with black voters regarding the sinister nature of the Mayor's Human rights amendment. Black Baptist ministers have historically constituted
an endorsing class during elections and often money changes hands. Congregants
know that there is frequently a marriage between market driven religion and
racist- homophobic ideologues. Veteran operatives note that often the same
persons that oppose affirmative action also promote the anti-gay agenda.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During my high school years in Southwest Bible Belt
Louisiana, I served as junior superintendent of a local Baptist church. There
was a great toleration for closet gays, especially among the musician’ class.
No one had a dry eye when our musician sang “Lord, you have brought me a mighty
long way and If you don’t do anything else for me, you have done enough”. This
politeness and civility exists throughout the national black religious
community as evidenced by the lack of rancor about closet gays in the pulpit,
choir and pew. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The courage to love truth is one of the preconditions of
thinking critically and practicing values of dignity and respect for all human
beings. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In January of 1979, Tennessee Williams was a victim of
assault as a result of a spate of anti-gay violence inspired by an anti-gay
newspaper advertisement run by a local Baptist ministers. Yes, Ideas have
consequences. In March of 1970, Howard Efland was beaten to death by the Los
Angeles Police Department. This is the same police department that tried to
beat Rodney King to death.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Much of the black existence in the United States has been
about “existential absurdity.” In the land of your birth, constantly confronting
an unsafe, unprotected environment- subject to random violence and being hated
because of who you are.’ The deadly random violence perpetrated against Emmet
Till in 1955 does not show a moral difference with the violence perpetrated
against James Byrd in Texas and Matthew Shepherd in Wyoming. Congress was
courageous in passing the James Byrd- Matthew Shepherd Hate Crime Act in 1975.Perhaps
these members of the clergy did not know that Matthew Shepherd (1998) was a
white student that was tortured and murdered because of his sexual orientation.
Perhaps there is a significant moral difference in the torture murder death of
heterosexual James Byrd, a black man at the hands of white supremacist (1998).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During the 1998 Dr. MLK Stop the Violence Rally and
Workshop, the keynote speaker was Ms. Renee Mullins, one of the daughters of
James Byrd. She supported the Byrd-Shepherd Hate Crimes Act that was signed
into law in 2009 by President Barack Obama.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recently (2014), it appears that two black girls in Galveston
were allegedly murdered by the father of one of the girls for being gay. A few
years ago, a 32 year old black man, Mark Carson was called vile names and
murdered as he walked down a New York street, because he was gay. Often these
gross violations are the result of religious biases preached and taught by
heterosexual pastors.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t expect black fundamentalist pastors to be
politically savvy but I do expect them to consider the human cost of their
pronouncements and to be morally magnanimous. My friend, Cornel says that Any
God worthy of worship condemns injustice anywhere.<br />
<br />
*Written by Omowale Luthuli-Allen*</div>
Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-11134305932300719102011-08-21T20:30:00.011-05:002011-08-22T21:54:22.508-05:00The Help<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQpDCj-4IHY/TlGy0maXSbI/AAAAAAAAAE8/KR6dVVAZiRc/s1600/thehelp3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643488424806009266" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EQpDCj-4IHY/TlGy0maXSbI/AAAAAAAAAE8/KR6dVVAZiRc/s400/thehelp3.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">Looking back, I should have followed my initial black feminist inclination to skip out on seeing a Tyler Perry approved film about race and gender in America. I feared that The Help would follow the trite “white person saves poor black person/people” storyline that characterizes too many Hollywood films. Ultimately, I realized that it wasn’t fair for me to critique a film that I had never seen before. Given that truth, I went against my gut. I caved in to the voices around me that were describing in the film in a neutral or even positive light and walked into Regal Cinema in DC Chinatown and took a seat. </span>
<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span>
<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The vast majority of movie goers in the theater that Friday night were white women, the target audience for the film. The trail of trailers shown before the film set the stage for the film itself. My friend described the previews as a sign that we were entering “romantic comedy Hell”. Lol. </span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Once the film began, I braced myself to see a white person rescue seemingly powerless black people from their miserable existence. Instead, I witnessed a 23 year old white woman, Skeeter, chronicle the stories of her own black maid and those belonging to her friends. As heroine of the story, she bravely picked up a pen and wrote down the stories of the oppressed domestic workers in Jackson, Mississippi during Jim Crow. Perhaps a full on rescue would have been too much for a genteel young white woman of those times.</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The black maids in the story were literate; however, they did not write their own stories. Instead, they spoke them to Skeeter, a white woman half their age, so that she could document them. Skeeter’s motivation to share the black women’s stories was born in her pity for her own black mammy from childhood, who was suddenly fired after 30 years of hard work because of an unwritten rule in wealthy white ladies superficial social club culture. </span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Looking intently at the screen, I patiently waited for a plot turn that included an act of serious resistance by one or many of the black maids. I thought that maybe the black women would stand up for their rights as workers and go on strike or maybe they would start a letter writing campaign to their state legislators. After all, acts of civil disobedience were central to the civil rights movement. Much to my dismay, the most powerful act of resistance involved a maid baking a pie for her white boss lady.</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Once I heard about the lawsuit initiated by Ablene Cooper, the maid whose story inspired the book from which the movie originated, I became even more remorseful for buying tickets to this movie. The black woman who told this story is not receiving her fair share of the royalties gained from either the book or the movie. Cooper’s painful story has been appropriated to generate profits that she may never see. </span>
<br />Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-18775702717031004302011-02-27T22:24:00.006-06:002011-02-28T07:38:35.796-06:00Rhee’s New Advocacy Group<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qfovyiMnIn4/TWsl24mo1sI/AAAAAAAAAEg/yF_zGMe6hgE/s1600/michelle_rhee.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578594188266100418" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 259px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 306px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qfovyiMnIn4/TWsl24mo1sI/AAAAAAAAAEg/yF_zGMe6hgE/s320/michelle_rhee.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size:130%;">News headlines pointing out that <em>Waiting for Superman</em> was not nominated for one of tonight's Academy Awards combined with the media frenzy surrounding Michelle Rhee's new advocacy group have directed my attention back to the education reform debate. On Friday night, I had a few friends over for vegan chili and a discussion of <em>Waiting for Superman </em>and we came to the unanimous conclusion that the film unduly glorified Rhee and grossly oversimplified our nation's education dilemma.<br /></span><div><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">In <em>Waiting for Superman, </em>Guggenheim frames the discussion on education reform around a fictional mutual exclusivity of the interests of children and adults as if changes that benefit teachers cannot also help students. Rhee's new advocacy group, Students First, also subscribes to this philosophy and seeks to limit the power of teachers unions and strip teachers of job protections like tenure. Through Students First, Rhee intends to raise a billion dollars to counter the political clout of teachers unions, which contribute heavily to the Democratic Party at the national level.<br /></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">During her <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">stint</span> as Chancellor of DC public schools, Rhee gained notoriety for firing a record number of teachers. 75 of these 1,000 teachers have recently had their jobs reinstated and were granted back-pay following a finding that Rhee never provided a reason for their termination. Also, IMPACT, the method Rhee used to measure teacher job performance in DC, has been strongly criticized as unfair. Student test scores were one of the central components of the measure and it's not clear if standardized test scores can be directly linked teacher performance. The American Federation of Teachers recommends using a different termination process that values peer input.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">As teachers and other public employees are fighting to keep their collective bargaining rights in Wisconsin and around the nation, Rhee is busy gathering the resources necessary to impede their progress. Students First is a thinly veiled vehicle designed to support right-wing education reforms that place educators under the knife on the operating table of government budget cuts. </span></p></span></div>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-5170042889519822422011-02-17T15:04:00.010-06:002011-02-17T16:24:44.424-06:00Kinkaid School Recognized Nationally for Intolerance<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8WNaUQ-NjaU/TV2PMbhH6eI/AAAAAAAAAEY/MSrgdiGVUs4/s1600/the_kinkaid_school.gif.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574769357462432226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8WNaUQ-NjaU/TV2PMbhH6eI/AAAAAAAAAEY/MSrgdiGVUs4/s320/the_kinkaid_school.gif.jpg" border="0" /></a><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size:130%;">On one hand, I'm sorry to see my alma mater's dirty laundry being aired in clear view of the nation via mainstream media outlets like the <em>Houston Chronicle, Gawker and Texas Monthly;</em> but on the other hand, I'm hoping this spotlight will prompt the school to make some changes that are long overdue. Since this topic hits so close to home for me, I'll go ahead and go old school by making the personal political in this post. As a Kinkaid School alum who attended from 1991-1998, I'll say that I was not at all surprised to read that a wealthy Kinkaid parent wrote a letter expressing concern that the school was beginning to welcome LGBT teachers and students into the community. Likewise, I wasn't shocked to learn that this parent was powerful enough to draw national attention to this matter.<br /></span><p><span style="font-size:130%;">In 2008 against the advice of many close friends, I attended my 10 year reunion only to experience the same ostracism that characterized the seven academic years I spent at Kinkaid. Although I tried to be social with the crowd of my classmates, only three of them were bold enough to engage in conversation with me and one was the kid-now-man who called me a n*gger in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade. (Perhaps he felt remorse for his comments as a child and wanted to make amends.) Although the discrimination I felt in this instance was mostly related to my race, I remember experiencing similar acts of discrimination based on my sexual orientation throughout high school. Ten of my friends and I were listed on a "lesbian list" that a bully placed in all of our lockers in order to humiliate us in the 11<sup>th</sup> grade. Formal dances had an unwritten hetero-only policy and gay slurs were not even viewed as inappropriate.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">My experience was back in the 90's, but there have been some efforts made in recent years to make the school's environment more accepting for all people in the Kinkaid community. A diversity initiative and club to fight hate were begun under Principal Mickey Saltman's leadership. And more importantly, gay friendly teachers were permitted to place rainbow stickers outside their classrooms to indicate safe spaces for LGBT students as long as the sponsor's name, "Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network", was removed.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Sadly, it appears that a lot of this progress has been lost as a result of one parent's crusade to stop the school from following a so-called "liberal agenda" that accepts all people. Principal Saltman has been forced out and so have a dozen great faculty and staff who not only excelled in their professions, but who also gave a beacon of hope to severely marginalized students like me.<br /></span></p></span>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-31327764886646696852011-02-09T18:41:00.005-06:002011-02-09T20:53:17.720-06:00Zimmerman’s "The Arabian Nights"<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ut46o3DGLUk/TVM0-BaJieI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/hZaWWrTTh0I/s1600/Arabian%2BNights.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571855404122081762" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 141px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ut46o3DGLUk/TVM0-BaJieI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/hZaWWrTTh0I/s320/Arabian%2BNights.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size:130%;">If you'd like a magical escape from the politics, war and social change in the news about the Arab world, Mary Zimmerman's <em>Arabian Nights </em>is the theatrical production for you. Set in ancient Baghdad with subplots in Cairo and around the Middle-East, <em>Arabian Nights </em>presents a glimpse into Islamic life that is so creatively nuanced that it couldn't be replicated in one's wildest dreams. This unique piece of art was clearly crafted by an expert director and playwright. I was fortunate enough to see this play last night courtesy of the discount ticket program at Arena stage, but Zimmerman's latest artistic masterpiece will be playing in DC through February 20<sup>th</sup>. (I'd recommend getting tickets as soon as possible because word of mouth travels quickly about these performances and they are more likely to be sold out towards the end of the show's run.)<br /></span><div><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">The plot is built around the story of a young woman who uses storytelling to escape her tragic fate. Over the course of the almost three hour long play, the desperate protagonist draws upon her superb and mesmerizing storytelling skills to captivate her would-be murder and by consequence, the audience too. Her stories are humorous, imaginative and bold. At times, the stories mirror the themes of the main plot, creating parallel representations of love, betrayal and revenge.<br /></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Despite its seemingly solemn subject matter, it is actually quite a humorous performance to watch. I laughed consistently throughout the evening as characters tried to trash-talk their way out of trouble in various scenes. The script is delightfully sprinkled with easy puns and sharp wit. Best of all, <em>Arabian Nights </em>provides an imaginative escape without the special effects and frills of Hollywood cinema. Viewers are encouraged to use their own minds and actively participate in forming their own visual image of the play.<br /></span></p></span></div>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-13276536784712770642011-02-08T14:59:00.007-06:002011-02-08T16:05:46.594-06:00DC Chinese New Year Parade<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TVG1m4ck39I/AAAAAAAAAEI/Cqz77XOrq80/s1600/DC%2BChinese%2BNew%2BYear.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571433893625913298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 275px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 183px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TVG1m4ck39I/AAAAAAAAAEI/Cqz77XOrq80/s320/DC%2BChinese%2BNew%2BYear.jpg" border="0" /></a><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size:130%;">This past Sunday, a good friend alerted me about the Chinese New Year Parade that was taking place in DC's Chinatown just in time for me hop on the train and catch the parade from start to finish. It was a lovely winter day with plenty of unobstructed sunlight and highs in the upper 40's. The weather was so nice that I even took off my overcoat at one point during the parade because I was too hot! The parade spectators consisted of a diverse mix of families with small children, groups of teenagers and adults.<br /></span><br /><div><div><p><span style="font-size:130%;">The parade got off to a noisy an exciting start as a group dressed in traditional Chinese garb led the parade while popping firecrackers on the street. (I'm pretty sure they had a special permit, so don't get any ideas about setting off fireworks in the city). Following the first group were a series of marchers and performers including dragon dancers, Chinese animal characters, Kung Fu artists and some seemingly unrelated groups including a high school band that lacked props or decorations related to the parade theme. 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit on the Chinese lunar-solar calendar and the New Year celebration lasts for 15 days, from new moon to full moon, beginning Feb 3, 2011.<br /></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Unfortunately, this parade, much like DC Chinatown itself, paled in comparison to parades in cities with larger and more established Asian-American populations. Don't get me wrong though, because I think the few contingents that were in the parade were well planned and neatly presented. However, I do hope to see this parade evolving into a larger, more widely-attended parade like the Capital Pride parade over time. This growth will undoubtedly happen as word of mouth about this great reason to get outdoors, absorb some Vitamin D and experience a cultural event on a winter day travels around town. </span></p></span></div></div>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-91687187008664880002011-02-07T19:44:00.006-06:002011-02-07T19:56:06.939-06:00H.R. 358, The Protect Life Act<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TVCha8d8QpI/AAAAAAAAAD4/Dt4EsX-jJfE/s1600/hanger.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571130223337685650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 219px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 209px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TVCha8d8QpI/AAAAAAAAAD4/Dt4EsX-jJfE/s320/hanger.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size:130%;">As if it weren't enough to attempt to limit women's access to abortion care in the case of rape (HR 3), House Republicans are also trying to block women from receiving abortions as treatment for life-threatening medical emergencies. HR 358, The Protect Life Act, was introduced by Rep. Joe Pitts on January 20, 2011 as an amendment to the new health care law. This bill would allow doctors and hospitals to refuse to treat pregnant women who arrive in emergency rooms with serious health concerns if such treatment involved terminating a pregnancy. And to make matters worse, hospitals would no longer be required to refer women to another hospital that offers the care needed to save their lives. Essentially, HR 358 would make it legal to leave a woman to die rather than terminate her pregnancy. </span><div><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Needless to say, pregnant women and women who plan to become pregnant should be extremely concerned about this initiative since they could be denied life-saving emergency care during pregnancy. The so called "Protect Life Act" fails to do just that, protect life. The measure would neglect the lives of women who are pregnant and experiencing a serious health crisis in the interest of preserving the life of a fetus. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">I wonder if Rep. Pitts were a woman would he would still support denying women abortion care in their last minutes of life or in the case of rape. It wouldn't make much sense for a woman to stand against her right to an abortion if her life were at risk, would it? Well, apparently it does for some women. These restrictions are a great idea in the minds of several Republican women, including Rep. Michelle Bachmann, who are cosponsoring both HR 3 and HR 358. Perhaps they are not concerned about the harms of these pieces of legislation because the women forced to carry their rapist's child and those left to die are likely to be poor. After all, the scope of these bills can only include hospitals and insurance plans that receive federal funding for programs like Medicaid. </span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Finally, I'll leave a word to those who are on the fence on this issue: making abortion illegal or cost prohibitive doesn't make it go away. Think back to the back alley abortion scene in Tyler Perry's <em>For Colored Girls</em> or talk to women who witnessed the nature of abortion before <em>Roe v. Wade</em>. </span></p></span></div>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-14833507695215615182011-02-06T21:49:00.007-06:002011-02-07T07:03:00.656-06:00Nicki Minaj’s Rise to Fame<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TU9uCrNLznI/AAAAAAAAADw/4KGNv4sX7-g/s1600/220px-Nicki_Minaj_cropped.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570792256317410930" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 264px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TU9uCrNLznI/AAAAAAAAADw/4KGNv4sX7-g/s320/220px-Nicki_Minaj_cropped.jpg" border="0" /></a><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size:130%;">I would like to begin this post by commending Nicki Minaj for successfully climbing to the top of the success ladder in a male dominated industry. Female rappers have always been few and far between, but the void has been even greater in recent years. Minaj is the first female hip-hop artist to top the industry charts since 2002 and she's reached this point entirely through her own merit. Born in Trinidad and moving to Queens with her family as a child, Minaj faced numerous obstacles growing up but still managed to graduate from a high school specializing in performing and visual arts. Not afraid to compete with male emcees, Minaj released a series of mix-tapes proving her lyrical rhyming expertise and was soon discovered and signed to Young Money Entertainment and then Cash Money Records. Her first major album, <em>Pink Friday</em>, debuted at number two on the charts and went platinum within a month of its release in 2010. As the only female rapper in mainstream media, Minaj's conspicuous position has made her a target for both praise and criticism.<br /></span><div><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Many argue that Minaj's lyrics and image do not make her a positive role model for young girls. Like a majority of top record-selling male artists, Minaj's lyrics involve sexually and otherwise explicit language and themes. It seems to me that Minaj has been placed in a hot seat simply for being a woman. Yes, I am aware that some critics are consistent in their critiques of the corruption rampant in mainstream hip-hop, however Minaj is getting an undue amount of attention for talking openly about sex while male artists with similarly offensive lyrics are not held to the same standard. Also, Minaj has come under fire for challenging the heteronormativity that characterizes hip-hop and even once suggesting that there will be a widely revered openly gay male emcee in the near future. Reporters have interrogated Minaj about her own sexual orientation because of LGBT storylines that appear in her rhymes, but she does not allow herself to be boxed in and proudly rejects applying labels to her sexual identity.<br /></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">At my age, I realize I'm a little detached from the pulse of popular culture, but I do find her music as good as, if not better than that of her peers. However, I must add that I think hip-hop could do better and the industry would benefit from a toppling of its upside-down reward structure that places the most positive and creative artists at the bottom while highlighting offensive artists with trite lyrics at the top. I'm happy to see Minaj paving the way for women in rap, but I can't help but feel nostalgic for the music of great pioneers like Mc Lyte, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill and even Lil Kim. (The only reason I mention the Queen Bee here is because she was unique for her time and created the "Black Barbie Multicolored Hair" image that Minaj prouldy promotes.)<br /></span></p><br /><p><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p></span></div>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-59652517149562864312011-02-04T12:51:00.004-06:002011-02-04T14:34:15.300-06:00Applying lessons from Cuba’s 1959 Revolution to the Mid-East 2011 Revolution<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TUxM3oR_c6I/AAAAAAAAADo/e1lMo94M79s/s1600/cuban%2Brevolution.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569911357739856802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TUxM3oR_c6I/AAAAAAAAADo/e1lMo94M79s/s320/cuban%2Brevolution.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span xmlns=""><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Cuba's revolution of 1959 was similar to the budding revolutions that are now taking place in the Middle East in that ordinary citizens were fed up with an unfair regime. Cuban people once viewed Fulgencio Batista as Egyptians now see Mubarak. Although the Cuban Revolution was successful in ending Batista's reign, the manner in which this goal was achieved resulted in grave consequences, including tremendous bloodshed and a loss of civil liberties. </span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">The leaders of the Cuban Revolution, including Castro and Guevara, used violence rather than peaceful civil disobedience to win their struggle and their new government ended up adopting a restrictive style of government rather than a democracy. (I realize that there are many complexities to these movements that won't be addressed in this post, however I just wanted to draw the historical link in light of the present situation.) The political unrest that many Mid-East nations are experiencing as a result of revolutionary-style protests has placed the citizens of these nations in a vulnerable position.<br /></p></span><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">In addition to being fed-up with autocratic rule, demonstrators in Jordan are motivated by rising food and fuel prices, and poor living conditions; all of which many blame on market-liberalizing economic decisions implemented in the 2000's. Revolutionaries in Cuba were led by similar concerns and once their revolutionary war was over, Cuba's new government mistakenly aligned itself with the international Communist Party while implementing social justice reforms to benefit its formerly oppressed citizenry. Hopefully, this scenario won't play out in the Mid-East with new governments siding with terrorist groups or extremist elements of more pluralistic groups. Yemen is the home to Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula and the Muslim Brotherhood, which has some questionable elements among its ranks, has taken a leadership role in speaking for protestors in Jordan.<br /></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">History in the making is always fascinating to watch and I really hope that the United States and other nations continue to weigh-in on the Mid-East protests in the interest of peaceful democratic social change in whatever ways they can. </span></p></span></div>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-51513987412387965272011-02-03T13:38:00.003-06:002011-02-03T13:45:21.232-06:00Power to the People of Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Yemen!<span><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TUsEmvlr6CI/AAAAAAAAADg/GH0by4VMb6s/s1600/middle%2Beast%2Bmap.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569550427829823522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 270px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TUsEmvlr6CI/AAAAAAAAADg/GH0by4VMb6s/s320/middle%2Beast%2Bmap.jpg" border="0" /></a><span xmlns="">Recent pro-democracy uprisings in the Middle East have effectively challenged the legitimacy of autocratic rule across the region. Rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Yemen have agreed to make varying degrees of concessions to protesters, but these limited changes fail to meet the core demands of demonstrators in all nations except Tunisia. In Tunisia, the people's voices were finally heard and President Ben Ali left office and fled the country in what is now referred to as the Jasmine Revolution. Unfortunately, this revolution also resulted in the loss of 78 lives and even more injuries among demonstrators. </span><br /><span xmlns=""></span><br /><span xmlns="">Autocratic leadership in Egypt, Jordan and Yemen has yet to completely cede power to the discontent protesters, and in Egypt, demonstrations have been infiltrated with violence. Coming days and weeks will reveal whether leaders in the other nations will acquiesce to the people's demands in the interest of peace or stay in power and risk an unknown degree of violence.<br /></span><br /><span xmlns="">In Egypt, Mubarak has agreed not to run again in the September presidential elections, but has refused to give up power until his term is up. In Jordan, King <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Abdullah</span> II replaced Prime Minister <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Samir</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Rafai</span> with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Maruf</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">al</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Bakit</span>, who has held this office before and is known for cracking down on freedoms during periods of social upheaval. In Yemen, President Ali <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Abdullah</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Saleh</span> followed Mubarak's lead and announced his retirement at the end of his term in 2013. Despite these political changes, demonstrations are unlikely to stop until autocratic leaders have given up their power to the people.<br /></span><span xmlns=""><br /><p>For a number of reasons including the sheer size of the movement in Egypt, Mubarak's actions will likely set the tone for what happens in Jordan, Yemen and beyond. Unfortunately, recent reports indicate that Mubarak has hired thugs to conduct an orchestrated violent attack on peaceful demonstrators as a possible precursor to using military-level violence to silence the opposition. </p><p>Hopefully, Mubarak will step down very soon causing a ripple effect throughout the region before it's too late and violence has reached unconscionable levels.<br /></p></span><br /></span>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-56894305847413972552011-02-02T10:47:00.006-06:002011-02-02T11:19:10.007-06:00High School Graduation Rate<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TUmLdKF8dHI/AAAAAAAAADU/UgUQCReqa20/s1600/cap-and-diploma.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569135747262084210" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 196px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TUmLdKF8dHI/AAAAAAAAADU/UgUQCReqa20/s320/cap-and-diploma.jpg" border="0" /></a><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size:130%;">I know that this blog space is entirely too small to properly address this issue, so I'll just give my two cents in a few paragraphs realizing that I'm not going to get past the tip of the iceberg. The issue of the extraordinarily high rate of high school drop-outs is concerning because it means that new generations of Americans aren't even finishing high school in shocking numbers. And while I understand that college may not be for everyone, I definitely believe that high school should be, especially in such a developed nation with comparatively high standards of living to most of the world. The education reform debate, like many other policy debates, is split between progressives and hard-liners. Education progressives are more likely to support increased funding for schools and community improvement initiatives, while hard-liners favor Rhee-style measures that fire ineffective teachers and close down underperforming schools.<br /></span><div><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Not surprisingly, I happen to side more with the liberals on this issue. Part of the reason is because I have enough hard-working teacher friends who are clearly undervalued and underpaid. Firing them based on performance measures would be unjust and more of a reflection of the conditions in the communities in which their schools are located than on their own effectiveness as instructors. Unfortunately, real life is not a Hollywood studio and replacing a principal in an actual low-performing school will never have the same consequence-free wide ranging success that Mr. Clark achieved in <em>Lean on Me. </em>Teachers are real people who work hard to earn a living.<br /></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">I do, however, think it's important to provide teachers with incentives to continue their education and learn strategies that can help promote student engagement. Teachers with advanced degrees have mastered proven teaching techniques that can help even the most challenged students. Academic concepts like accountable talk, which helps to develop students' reasonable discourse skills while simultaneously keeping them engaged in their studies, are central to improving the quality of education in our country's schools.<br /></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-size:130%;">In the end, however, education reform in itself may not be enough to reform education. This sounds counter-intuitive, but we all know that there are pervasive systemic problems in society that lie at the root of the drop-out crisis that cannot be solved by replacing faculty or even closing schools. </span></p></span></div>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-43130514118693868002011-02-01T10:33:00.006-06:002011-02-01T10:43:50.965-06:00Birthers<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TUg4N0pYrTI/AAAAAAAAADM/4T9B_Bixx14/s1600/Birthers.htm"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568762749365300530" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 269px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 188px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TUg4N0pYrTI/AAAAAAAAADM/4T9B_Bixx14/s320/Birthers.htm" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">After several hours of studying the website Birthers.org, I’ve come to the difficult conclusion that they are in fact correct. There is no way that Barak Hussein Obama could have been born in America! His mother likely gave birth to him in Kenya or Canada and then slipped him across the border as a knowingly willing complicit illegal alien baby. It’s clear that he doesn’t even have a birth certificate and if he does have one, it was forged by a sophisticated network of organized thugs. Besides, what true American mother would give her son such a Muslim African name? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">On a more serious note, I think that most conspiracy theorists are paranoid and/or ignorant. As described in the DSM IV (psychology Bible), Paranoid Personality Disorder is one of the ten personality disorders commonly present in adult humans. People with this condition may have unwarranted and widespread suspicions that other people present a threat to their existence. Ignorance, as defined by yours truly, indicates a genuine lack of education and information making it impossible for one to make clear arguments based on logic and facts. </span></div>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-70764886190287229642010-12-01T20:02:00.005-06:002010-12-01T21:43:39.949-06:00My take on every tongue confess<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TPb_09xu7CI/AAAAAAAAAC4/i4l4ZaV4yNs/s1600/every%2Btongue%2Bconfess.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 309px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TPb_09xu7CI/AAAAAAAAAC4/i4l4ZaV4yNs/s320/every%2Btongue%2Bconfess.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545901276554783778" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> <w:cachedcolbalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style=""><i style=""></i>Thanks to the wonderful discount ticket lottery at Arena Stage, I had the privilege of seeing acclaimed playwright Marcus Gardley’s <i style="">every tongue confess </i>starring Phylicia Rashad last night.<span style=""> </span>Gardley graduated from the Yale School of Drama in 2004 with a Master of Fine Arts degree and has been showered with awards and recognition since.<span style=""> </span><i style="">every tongue confess</i> is the first performance on the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle Stage, a new stage built during the recent $135 million renovation of Arena Stage.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="">The play is set in a small Alabama town during a time of racially motivated black church burnings.<span style=""> </span>On the surface, the setting seems trite for a black play, but the fact that it takes place in the 90’s adds an element of uniqueness.<span style=""> </span>Most characters in the play are modern and anti-racist and one character even jams her headphones while rigidly adhering to a vegan lifestyle.<span style=""> </span>This interesting contradiction of a seemingly outdated phenomenon happening in modern times ignites feelings of curiosity and confusion in the audience.<span style=""> </span>(I was on the edge of my chair trying to figure out who the heck would burn down black churches in the 1990’s)</b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style=""><i style=""><span style="font-style: italic;">e</span>very tongue confess</i> provides opportunities for both black and white actors to play complex roles that develop slowly over the course of the performance.<span style=""> </span>A mute quietly evolves into a loud vocalist and a blues singer seamlessly becomes a savior.<span style=""> </span>Phylicia Rashard’s character, Mother Sister, is a mother, preacher, widow and healer.<span style=""> </span>She is by far the most captivating of the actors and eloquently displays her deep roots in live performance art.<span style=""> </span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="">Without spoiling the show, I’ll conclude by saying that the play really does a good job of demonstrating how hypocrisy fuels bigotry and how hate is passed down inside families.<span style=""> </span>I definitely recommend this new play and hope to see it travel the country and maybe even get featured on Broadway.<span style=""> </span>Be sure to use your imagination to embrace the magic realism in the show and don’t be afraid to laugh at the punch lines.<span style=""> </span></b></span></p>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-81603665763035939382010-07-23T13:07:00.011-05:002010-07-24T02:21:21.905-05:00NAACP is slippin<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TEniy2wJG2I/AAAAAAAAACo/jm7mOSszDDI/s1600/naacp.jpg"><span style="font-size:130%;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497174183501175650" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; width: 124px; height: 121px;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TEniy2wJG2I/AAAAAAAAACo/jm7mOSszDDI/s320/naacp.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Wow! I felt so disappointed to learn that the NAACP supported the Tea Party in their push to fire a black woman from her job for reverse racism. Of all groups, I would have thought the NAACP would be more critical of Tea Party and extremist right wing claims, especially those made against African-Americans. After all, it was barely a week ago when the NAACP called out the Tea Party for harboring racist elements among its factions. And for the record, anyone who's been near a Tea Party protest and seen their swastikas and heard their racist chants can attest to fact that some of their supporters are racist.<br /><br />Why then, would the NAACP rush the Tea Party's aid at the expense of a hard working black federal employee? The answer is politics. The political pendulum is shifting to the right and conservatives are gaining popularity and credibility, even in the eyes of race-based social justice organizations like the NAACP.<br /><br />During the late days of the Bush Administration, progressives had a powerful grassroots political voice and were able to succeed in securing the election our nation's first African-American president. However, now that Obama has been getting things done as president, conservatives have begun a spirited movement in opposition to his policies. The passage of health care reform legislation and other big government initiatives has fired up fiscal conservatives and the fringe elements that follow their lead.<br /><br />Hopefully this incident will serve as a wake-up call for the NAACP and other progressive groups. Tea Party accusations may be hyped up by the media because of their current level of political hotness, but media coverage doesn't always equate with legitimacy so it's still important to investigate the validity of right wing claims before backing them.</span>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-69488010283182146692010-07-19T10:01:00.006-05:002010-07-19T10:57:01.067-05:00The Kids are All Right<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TERpjhtWEZI/AAAAAAAAACg/a0NlrGCzQeg/s1600/The-Kids-Are-All-Right.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495633504363745682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 163px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/TERpjhtWEZI/AAAAAAAAACg/a0NlrGCzQeg/s320/The-Kids-Are-All-Right.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:130%;">Last night, I had the pleasure of viewing the film, <em>The Kids are All Right</em>, which tells the story of a family of four as they face life's challenges. Interestingly, the two teenage kids in this family have two moms instead of a mom and a dad. They were conceived through an alternative insemination process with the assistance of a sperm donor. The movie begins with the teens becoming curious about their donor, seeking him out and ultimately bringing him into the family.<br /><br />I must say that it was refreshing to see a realistic representation of a family with two moms given the scarcity of these types of on-screen depictions. However, I worry that the storyline was compromised in an effort to reach a larger audience. In the plot, the more feminine of the two moms immediately begins a steamy affair with the sperm donor only to be caught and cause a tremendous disruption to her whole family. While I do agree that gender and sexuality are very complex aspects of human identity that are often oversimplified by society, it still irks me that most of the sex scenes in <em>The Kids are All Right </em>were heterosexual. I just wonder if the script would have been able to attract such great actors and if the movie would have been released so widely had it been gayer.<br /><br />All and all, this was a really good movie -- and I rarely say that about films these days. <br /> </span>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-8398008213963106042010-01-07T15:32:00.007-06:002010-01-07T18:10:26.109-06:00PETA's New Advertisment<span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/S0ZhXnHjexI/AAAAAAAAACY/jyMi8nFvl4s/s1600-h/michelle+fur+peta.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/S0ZhXnHjexI/AAAAAAAAACY/jyMi8nFvl4s/s320/michelle+fur+peta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424129859479894802" border="0" /></a><br />Offensive and outrageous marketing tactics are preventing PETA from advancing the ethical treatment of animals. </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="font-size:130%;">PETA's</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> latest billboard features First Lady Michelle Obama as an advocate of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="font-size:130%;">PETA's</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> anti-fur agenda. While it's true that Mrs. Obama is very cognizant of her fashion choices and chooses not to wear fur, it's also against White House policy for the President or First Lady to officially endorse an advocacy group. PETA executives were aware of this policy and even cited it as the reason they did not ask Mrs. Obama before using her image in their newest advertisement.<br /><br />Last summer, PETA generated controversy by trivializing the murder of late-term abortion doctor, George Tiller, in an ad that compared his life to that of baby chickens. PETA did not take the time to consider Dr. Tiller's family or the many women who owe their lives to Dr. Tiller. No, they were only concerned with shocking people into vegetarianism.<br /><br />The worst PETA advertising campaign was the 2003 "Holocaust on your Plate" initiative that consisted of an installation that juxtaposed images of Jewish people about to be exterminated with pigs awaiting slaughter. This installation was more than reckless, it disrepected humanity by comparing the lives of six million Jews to the pork many people eat for breakfast.<br /><br />No one who is familiar with the practices of the meat processing industry can deny the fact that the industry needs to adopt more humane methods and be held to higher standards. However, PETA's marketing techniques are so alienating that they preclude the organization's effectiveness in getting its point across. If PETA is trying to reach reasonable people who care about animal rights, perhaps they should try a more sensible approach.<br /><br />It's no surprise that Mrs. Obama is upset that PETA is using her photo on their billboards.</span>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-4877529914156507592009-12-23T13:30:00.003-06:002010-12-01T21:09:49.839-06:00American Christmas<span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SzJyKtzb6kI/AAAAAAAAACQ/daxPEVdCwM4/s1600-h/christmas-tree-with-gifts-flipbook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SzJyKtzb6kI/AAAAAAAAACQ/daxPEVdCwM4/s320/christmas-tree-with-gifts-flipbook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418518830099720770" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">What is the meaning of Christmas? Why are so many people buying gifts? Is there a real spiritual root to this holiday? Why is our society so defensive of it? What are YOU going to buy this season? What IS the reason for the season? Why is everyone going to scurry to church and the mall? What's up with this holiday? While the majority of the world is suffering in relative poverty, why are we spending wildly?</span><br /></span></span><!--- blog subject ---><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span times="" new="" roman=""><br />My study abroad experience in <st1:country-region st="on">Cuba</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Nicaragua</st1:place></st1:country-region> (2000) ended in a rude awakening. After having spent a semester abroad, I returned to the <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> only to be bombarded with a culture rife with greed. When I stepped off the plane, I experienced the largest contradiction of my life. I walked from the severely impoverished into the tremendously wealthy in a matter of seconds. Needless to say, it was a life changing experience.<br /><br />Nothing could have prepared me for that moment of dramatic transformation. Not the de-briefing session designed by the study abroad program, nor the spontaneous skinny dipping episode on a remote part of the <st1:place st="on">Nicaraguan</st1:place> Coast. There was no easy way to go from <st1:city st="on">Managua</st1:city> to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Houston</st1:place></st1:city>.<br /><br />In <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Nicaragua</st1:place></st1:country-region>, people celebrate Christmas to p. </span></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span times="" new="" roman="">ay homage to their spiritual beliefs</span></span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span times="" new="" roman="">. The Nicaraguans are mostly Catholic and celebrate Christmas as the birth of Christ -- their one and only Savior. Nicaraguan families do not exchange gifts. They only gather together and pray.<br /><br />In <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Cuba</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the people hardly celebrate Christmas for two reasons: their roots in the Yoruba oral tradition and their adherence to socialism. Ever since Fidel emphasized the <st1:place st="on">Island</st1:place>'s African roots following the 1959 socialist revolution, Cubans have embraced their African heritage. Also, the redistribution of wealth that followed the Revolution strayed Cuban citizens from Christmas based on the holiday's capitalist origins.<br /></span><br />Poor nations have offered a wide range of critiques of Western consumption patterns. Developing countries with strong ties to the Church, like Nicaragua, feel that the US has strayed too far from religious ideals in the name of greed. Other more secular countries, like Cuba, feel that Americans are more concerned with material things than more meaningful aspects of life. Whatever the underlying explanation may be, the fact remains that our country's spending habits are out of control and Christmas is the most clear evidence of this growing problem.</span>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-65830196791818556872009-12-15T01:00:00.009-06:002009-12-15T11:53:53.422-06:00Copenhagen is a joke<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SyfJ1Ni8x-I/AAAAAAAAACI/KtfdwN9uoNA/s1600-h/climatechange1023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SyfJ1Ni8x-I/AAAAAAAAACI/KtfdwN9uoNA/s320/climatechange1023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415518992942811106" border="0" /></a><br />The Climate Conference in Copenhagen only has four days left to make an agreement. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which consists of the best scientists all over the word, decided long ago that our planet is getting warmer. Ice caps the size of countries and islands are melting as we speak. Even if you don't understand the science, you surely can see the significance of an iceberg the size of Manhattan drifting off and melting away. The Earth is changing, and not in a good way.<br /><br />Rapid economic development, fueled by fossil fuels, is the primary cause of the problem we're facing today. For hundreds of years, countries like the United States and Denmark enjoyed the luxury of polluting the air in order to get rich. Dirty industry is analogous to the capture and forced labor of unpaid black Africans in its role to get certain countries rich while other countries remained poor.<br /><br />At the Kyoto conference in 1997, industrialized nations recognized that the global warming crisis was largely a result of their irresponsible growth spurts and accordingly agreed to take measures to reduce their emissions of global harming gasses a rate proportionate to their culpability. Unfortunately, the Kyoto deal was largely ignored and now the world is back at the table again in Copenhagen.<br /><br />Poorer countries who cannot afford expensive renewable energy technologies need assistance in curbing greenhouse gas emissions and it's the duty of rich countries to help in whatever way they can since this predicament is largely their fault.Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-86106692829380231292008-08-20T21:27:00.006-05:002008-08-21T09:29:09.826-05:00Why Protest in Beijing?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SK1661d1hHI/AAAAAAAAABc/JymXG877rC8/s1600-h/wu+and+wanf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SK1661d1hHI/AAAAAAAAABc/JymXG877rC8/s320/wu+and+wanf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236977092904977522" border="0" /></a><br />Everyone knows that <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a communist nation that restricts civil liberties. Who doesn't remember the hundreds of people who were killed and thousands of people who were injured at <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Tianamen Square</st1:address></st1:street> in 1989? So why is it that people continue to risk their lives just to make a point?<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br />In the case of Wu Dianyuan and Wang Xiuying, their motivation is perfectly clear. Dianyian, 79, and Xiuying, 77, have lived in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> their whole lives and have reached an age at which they finally feel free to speak their minds without worrying about the consequences. They are friends and neighbors who together petitioned for a permit to protest during the Olympics. As punishment for applying to protest, the Chinese government sentenced them both to a year of detention and, not surprisingly, the government does not allow detainee protests.<br /></p><br />Their protest is not related to a free <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Tibet</st1:place></st1:country-region> or the right to democratic elections, but is rather something much more unpretentious.<span style=""> </span>These women felt they were unjustly compensated after an eminent domain claim on their homes in the interest of a government backed gentrification plan.<o:p></o:p> Their concerns were no different than those felt worldwide by people who have been forced out of their homes in the interest of economic development.<span style=""><br /></span>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-13623879706850273832008-08-04T10:40:00.004-05:002008-08-04T14:11:16.694-05:00Black America Shares Statistics with African Countries<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SJc3ZutIhRI/AAAAAAAAABU/sqATBUhqneU/s1600-h/chart3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SJc3ZutIhRI/AAAAAAAAABU/sqATBUhqneU/s320/chart3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230710407387710738" border="0" /></a><br />The Black AIDS Institute has released a shocking new study comparing rates of HIV infection among African-Americans with those of the hardest hit nations in Africa. The study revealed that black Americans are just as likely to come down with the virus that causes AIDS as citizens of Uganda and South Africa. The Centers for Disease Control determined that black women are contracting HIV from heterosexual sex and injection drug use at 23 times the rate of white women and AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women between ages 25 and 34. The United States may be one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but this goes to show that money cannot buy good health and nor can it undo centuries of oppression against African people. There are many different theories as to why blacks are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS, but in my opinion, even all of them taken together cannot explain the dire nature of the statistics at hand.<br /><br />Some people say that white people are just more responsible when it comes to sex than blacks, but somehow I'm just not buying that one. White people have plenty of unprotected sex. Others say that black men are contracting the disease in prison and spreading it to multiple women once they're released. I say that, yes, this may happen sometimes but there are not enough black ex-cons out there to account for a HIV rate among black women that's 23 times that of white women. Black men are only a few times more likely than white men to have a record. And others say that black men are more likely to be on the down low, but CDC research shows that closeted black men are no more likely to catch HIV than out gay black men.<br /><br />I am no conspiracy theorist so I don't think the government is secretly infecting blacks with HIV. However, I do find some validity in <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/16/MNRI11PM03.DTL">new scientific research</a> that points to a gene that makes people with sub-Saharan origins more likely to catch HIV when they are exposed. The gene in question is thought to have been developed as a natural evolutionary defense to malaria. It's just too bad that the same gene that results in an evolutionary advantage in the face of one disease can be a catalyst for infection in the case of another. As we all know, modern science is far from perfect and more research is needed to confirm these findings. Nonetheless I think this a very important and overlooked aspect of the worldwide black AIDS epidemic.Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-64523457942766728492008-08-01T09:36:00.007-05:002008-08-01T14:42:44.925-05:00Walmart asks workers to reject Dems in November<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SJM4yCOvnxI/AAAAAAAAABM/jqOZ0onNmhs/s1600-h/walmart.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SJM4yCOvnxI/AAAAAAAAABM/jqOZ0onNmhs/s320/walmart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229586024550604562" border="0" /></a><br />Walmart continues it's excellent record on worker rights with <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB121755649066303381.html">dirty new intimidation tactics</a>. Walmart execs have called meetings with mangers all over the country tell them that their jobs may be in jeopardy if they support Barack Obama for president. Their goal is to brainwash workers into believing that voting for a political party that supports worker's rights might get them fired.<br /><br />Walmart can't seem stay out of the headlines for worker's rights violations. It seems just yesterday when Walmart made the papers for practicing sexism in it's decision making process for promoting workers. Women with more qualifications and experience were routinely denied promotions and forced to work underneath their less qualified male counterparts.<br /><br />It's no wonder why Walmart has much lower prices than similar businesses like Target -- they don't give a damn about their employees. Walmart associates aren't adequately compensated for their work. The average cashier at Walmart lives below the federal poverty line and Walmart execs are working to keep it that way.<br /><br />The fat cats at Walmart are afraid of the inevitable, that workers will eventually realize their worth and organize to demand fair compensation for their labor.Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-14745475489452540702008-07-31T10:51:00.006-05:002008-07-31T13:10:13.477-05:00UniverSoul Circus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SJHolHH25jI/AAAAAAAAAA8/jXLRcA1XUGQ/s1600-h/universoulcircus080331_560.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SJHolHH25jI/AAAAAAAAAA8/jXLRcA1XUGQ/s320/universoulcircus080331_560.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229216366618666546" border="0" /></a><br />Yesterday I had the privilege of attending my first ever UniverSoul Circus. To say that this event exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. Highly trained performers from all over the world showcased their tremendous talents before an enthusiastic audience of African-American families. South African acrobats, Guinean contortionists, American mimes, and a Brazilian tiger tamer were just a few of the myriad of performers at the UniverSoul Circus.<br /><br />The circus presented a special opportunity for African-Americans to gather together in a family oriented atmosphere and admire the talents that exist in the black community. Children and adults alike were astonished by much of what they saw. In the last act, the audience was carried away by a trio of dancing elephants who's choreography corresponded to the lyrics of popular songs. When the song "Bed" by J. Holiday played, the elephants all lay down as if they themselves were going to bed.<br /><br />I would strongly recommend checking out the UniverSoul circus when it comes through your town.Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-16862331826390023332008-07-29T11:36:00.004-05:002008-07-31T13:09:43.618-05:00Houston, The Worst Recycler in the Nation<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SI9Hte7kcQI/AAAAAAAAAAM/PwZrSl9PgKQ/s1600-h/0729-nat-RECYCLE.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_I-aUQMG6ZaY/SI9Hte7kcQI/AAAAAAAAAAM/PwZrSl9PgKQ/s320/0729-nat-RECYCLE.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228476539123036418" border="0" /></a><br />Why is it that Houston has the worst recycling record in the country? What will it take for Houstonians to come together and realize that our planet should not be treated as a dumping ground? As a Houston resident, I am embarrassed that my city is last on the list when it comes to something as important as recycling.<br /><br />Our country's consumption oriented culture produces inordinate amounts of waste and certain municipalities don't bother to mitigate the impact of this waste on the environment. At least in San Francisco, residents can feel comfortable that a majority of their trash does not end up piled up in landfills polluting the earth for eons.<br /><br />The City of Houston has one of the nation's strongest economies in this time of hardship, yet public officials refuse to spend a few dollars on protecting our planet. In other cities, recycling has been integrated into the fabric of society through programs that have made it accessible to ordinary citizens. In Houston, not only can I not leave my recycling outside to be collected alongside my trash, the nearest recycling facility is several miles away so I have to gas up my car and drive to another part of town just to drop of my recyclables. Environmentally conscious business owners have expressed that they too have to jump through hoops if they choose to recycle.<br /><br />I guess it's only fitting that a fossil fuel hotbed like Houston wouldn't care about the footprint that we as humans are leaving on our only planet.Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-19606391666505030902008-07-24T13:50:00.003-05:002008-07-31T13:07:31.776-05:00CNN's Black Women and FamiliesLast night, I had the opportunity to watch CNN's long anticipated Black Women and Families segment of the Black in America series. Disappointingly, the documentary was framed through an entirely heterosexist and patriarchial lens. Simply put, it assumed that every black woman should be married to a man. This is an outdated view of the black family structure. Not all black women need to or even want to be married to a man.<br /><br />Having children out of wedlock is not the cause of the health, education, and income disparities facing the black community. While many single mothers would like to have a committed intimate partner, most of them will tell you that not having a man is the least of their problems. What they need most is more along the lines of reliable child care, health care, quality education, enrichment programs, job training, transportation and a network of family members and friends dedicated to helping in brining up the next generation.<br /><br />Simply being married to a man does not necessarily improve a woman's quality of life, and in too many instances, such marriages can be oppressive to women.<br /><br />It's true that studies show that two parent households, regardless of the parents' gender, are generally better for children than single parent households. But this does not mean that single parent households, equipped with necessary resources and support, cannot be equally as beneficial for children. For example, many single mothers rely on family members and friends to give additional emotional support and guidance to their children. And middle and upper class single moms can afford to provide for their children's needs on just one income.<br /><br />CNN needs to realize that this is no longer 1950's America when all women were expected to live as subservient wives and forgo their career ambitions to cook and clean all day. Times are changing and women are feeling freer to live their lives as they choose. Marriage rates and out of wedlock births are not the best indicators of the overall well being of black America.Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7648513860835630741.post-76387813331807750262008-06-30T21:09:00.005-05:002008-07-31T13:09:13.555-05:00Black Patriotism and President Obama<p class="MsoNormal">Right wing extremists, with the support of mainstream media outlets, have begun to challenge the presidential candidates on patriotism. In Barack Obama's case, suggestions of his alleged traitor tendencies are based in racism and xenophobia. The dominant narrative of American history largely privileges white people and ostracizes immigrants. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The pages of common textbooks will tell you that whites founded this nation and that all American presidents have been of European descent. From the same books, you'll learn that blacks were generally servants and had no role in the prosperity of this wealthy nation. Even today, ordinary immigrants are being associated with vicious terrorists. Thus, President Obama is being subjected to a double whammy. Not only is he black, but he is also the son of an immigrant.<br /><br />Millions of West Africans were brought to the so-called <st1:place st="on">New World</st1:place> against their will and subjected to involuntary servitude for hundreds of years.<span style=""> </span>They were exploited workers who never benefited from the fruits of their own labor.<span style=""> </span>Would it be extreme for the relatively recent descendants of these forced migrants to be a bit unpatriotic? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Although Mr. Obama does not carry the same historical legacy of the majority of African-Americans in this country, dominant culture still places him within the broadly defined racial category of blackness.<span style=""> </span>In <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, everyone with one drop of black blood is considered black, regardless of country or ethic origin.<span style=""> </span>For President Obama, that will mean that he is part of a history that is not directly his, but is that of his kindred people of African descent.</p>Ahimsahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09865217197031622610noreply@blogger.com0