Vision Circle

Moving On

This week's cover of the Amsterdam News , New York's longest standing Black weekly, features a picture of the Honorable Louis Farrakhan with headlines referencing the ADL and the Millions More March scheduled for October 2005.

Black Youth and Self-Esteem

The entire basis of Brown vs. Board of Education was wrong in my opinion. Instead of arguing that black kids felt bad about themselves because they went to black schools, Thurgood et al should have argued that they weren't getting the resources. Black self-esteem isn't a significant problem...though the existence of stereotype threat is a signal exception. So while browsing for something else I come across the following abstract:

Ethnic identity was conceptualized into three categories: (1) unexamined, (2) searching for identity, and (3) achieved ethnic identity. Analyses of data collected from 12,386 adolescents showed that ethnic identity is an important qualifier of the relationships between independent variables of ethnicity and gender, and dependent variables of global self-esteem, academic self-confidence, and purpose in life. Whites and Native Americans had lower ethnic identity, and Blacks and Hispanics had higher ethnic identity. Asians and repondents of mixed ethnicity had intermediate levels of ethnic identity. The greater the ethnic identity, the higher the self-esteem, purpose in life and self-confidence. This mechanism applies to ethnic minorities and to women among whom achieved ethnic identity may blunt the negative effects of social denigration and stereotyping, and it applies to whites, too. The paper argues that multiculturalism in the schools can increase ethnic identity.

You Write the Joke

FDA Looking Into Blindness-Viagra Link

By Lauran Neergard
Associated Press
Friday, May 27, 2005; 9:15 AM

Federal health officials are examining rare reports of blindness among some men using the impotence drug Viagra.

The Food and Drug Administration still is investigating, but has no evidence yet that the drug is to blame, said spokeswoman Susan Cruzan.

And Copy Machines Turned out Song after Song...

If I were to choose one group without whom much of hip-hop, electro, house, techno (Detroit and otherwise), and related electronic musics would be possible....I'd probably choose Kraftwerk. The idea that a few German classical musicians could later inspire a former gang leader from the Bronx (Afrika Bambaata), and a trio of metro Detroit DJ's (Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson), doesn't quite jibe with our understanding of black cultural production. Asking a similar question I asked about Detroit Bass (now "Baltimore Club"), how is it that these productions grab hold of us not letting go even in case of emergency? I remember where I was vividly when I heard Rapper's Delight for the first time. We were driving across the railroad tracks past the Satellite Bowling Alley on the way home.

I also remember where I was the first time I heard Kraftwerk's "Numbers". Talked about it all next day in Mr. O'Kray's class.

Thinking about our role as agents (rather than passive consumers), what are we mapping onto these productions ourselves? What do we see in them? What did I as a working class black kid growing up right outside of post-industrial Detroit see here?

As an aside, I didn't realize the degree to which Kraftwerk themselves were influenced by free jazz innovations from here in the states. Completing the circle...and giving Wynton Marsalis even more fits.

Smut City

Tonight at Nerve Ryan Kennedy talks about Baltimore Club a type of song that mixes 2 Live Crew type lyrics with house music percussion and pace.

I remember the first time I encountered house music within the pages of a Chicago newspaper. The year was 1991. Considering that I'd been a house music acolyte for six years already, and the scene had been hot (in Chicago, mind) for at least another four before that, you figure that being ten years late was better than being 11 years late.

Here? I thought Nerve was supposed to be hot. Supposed to be on it.

Baltimore Club? This is nothing but Detroit bass music...which had replaced house and Detroit techno on the airwaves and most club playlists by 1992. Strippers used to shake to it, young undergrads and high schoolers used to move to it, and a white Michigan undergrad by the name of DJ Assault made himself quite a name on it. Think of house music on a combination of speed and Viagara and you get the picture.

I just don't know why the hell it took so long for Nerve to get the picture. I hope Kennedy didn't pitch the story to someone else too. No need for two news magazines to get took.

For me Baltimore and Detroit have a great deal in common. I don't think it's a coincidence that the music grabs a hold of Baltimore the same it did Detroit.

American Express and Coach K

I'm watching the NBA Playoffs, and I'm hearing this voice during the commercials talking about what the various teams and players bring to the table. I realize it's Coach K from Duke and he's shilling for American Express. It's all good, but I'm trying to figure out something. When was the last time we heard a college baseball coach talking as a voice of authority about a major league baseball squad? I'm firmly convinced that the entire notion of a "pure" college game juxtaposed against a "lazy" pro game is a myth. It sells tickets for a weaker product--I can understand why Duke alumni might want to watch them play from afar but not someone from Whittier--and ensures high ratings for the March college tournament.

Transitions

Come July 1, I'll no longer be associated with Washington University in Saint Louis. Instead I'll be making the move to Johns Hopkins, the first modern research university. The decision to make the move was a lot harder than I thought it would be, so I'm taking the time to publicly thank the students and administration of Washington University in Saint Louis. I know some of them read the posts here. One of the things a school like Wash. U. promises students is personal relationships with their professors. At a school like Michigan, we never got those promises...and I wasn't mad. I WANTED a 35,000 Big Ten, Division I, Rose Bowl type groove. I expected to tolerate Wash. U. at best, with its 38,000/year tuition.

But going back for graduation it was clear to me how much I left there. I'll be back more than a few times. It's pretty cheap to get there, and the summers are cool (figuratively not literally). Damn it was a good run though.

For those of you reading, send this around. You know where to find me. If you need anything, LET ME KNOW.

Your Financial Life

This is your financial life on the net. This is your social security information that is available to the world.

That's all I have to say.

Bank security breach may be biggest yet
Account info at Bank of America, Wachovia sold by employees; more
arrests expected, N.J. police say.
May 23, 2005: 4:19 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Bank of America Corp. and Wachovia Corp. are
among the big banks notifying more than 670,000 customers that account
information was stolen in what may the biggest security breach to hit
the banking industry.

Account information on the customers was illegally sold by bank
employees to a man identified as Orazio Lembo, whom police said was
doing business by illegally posing as a collection agency.

When police in Hackensack, N.J., first announced arrests in the case
on April 28, they estimated that more than 500,000 people were
affected. That number was raised to 676,000 Friday. Because some
people have more than one account, Hackensack Police Chief Charles
"Ken" Zisa says the number of accounts breached may top 1 million.

"As this gets going, these numbers are going to go up and up,"
Hackensack Detective Capt. Frank Lomia told CNN earlier Monday, adding
that more arrests may be coming in the case.

Here's one woman doing something about it. She's a new mini-hero:

A Matter Of Public Record
Activist Aims to Scare Officials Into Protecting Personal Data

By Jonathan Krim
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 25, 2005; E01

Betty (but call her BJ) Ostergren, a feisty 56-year-old from just north of Richmond, is driven to make important people angry. She puts their Social Security numbers on her Web site, or links to where they can be found.

It's not that she wants CIA Director Porter J. Goss, former secretary of state Colin L. Powell, or Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to be victims of identity theft, as were millions of Americans in the past year. Ostergren is on a crusade to scare and shame public officials into doing something about how easy it is to get sensitive personal data.

Data brokers such as ChoicePoint Inc. and LexisNexis Group have been attractive targets for identity thieves because they are giant buyers and sellers of personal data on millions of people.

But as federal and state lawmakers try to keep sensitive information from falling into criminal hands, they face a difficult dilemma: The information typically originates from records gathered and stored by public agencies, available for anyone to see in courthouses and government buildings around the country.

What's more, local governments have in recent years rushed to put these records online.

A wealth of documents -- including marriage and divorce records, property deeds, and military discharge papers -- containing Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other sensitive information is accessible from any computer anywhere. Many of the online records are images of original documents, which also display people's signatures.

New Life

So you are in the operating room, sitting at the head of your wife, while behind the curtain, two doctors and a medical student are working on doing their thing on your wife's "stomach".

A nurse, with a white towel with red and blue stripes drapped across both outstreached arms, comes to the side and waits. And then all of a sudden, you see a "big head" covered in wavy black hair appear from behind that curtain and placed on the towel. They announce, "There he is!" and rush off to do some things.

Later, while the doctors are still doing their thing behind the curtain, they bring him back, tightly wrapped in towel.

They place the boy in the father's arms, and as he gazes down, he looks over at his wife to introduce the two, and the husband sees the look on his wife's face that says it all: the bond between the mother and son will never be broken. Dad, the love your wife has for you is nothing compared to the love your wife has for her son.

And that thought is a wonderful realization.

"DS, 2.0" -- Thanks George! -- welcome to your life!
I'm your dad. I'm charged by God to guide you through your life.
This is your mom. She's charged by God to guide you through your life.

We will do as God commands, in the best way that we know how.

God first, us second.

I proclaim here and now, that God has great things in store for you. "DS, 2.0", prepare for the time of your life!!!!

Dad, mom, and big sis love you.

"Let's get it started!
Let's get it started in here!"

More On WalMart

So, in response to "Business Econ 101", Spence kinda sorta spanked me for not providing enough meat.

Here is my response to him, and at his request, at it's own entry.

Don't ask politicians to do what shouldn't take you more than a fifteen minute google search to find.

The problem is, you have LAWMAKERS making LAWS that they have no clue about nor the potential impact nor the numbers behind what they support. And, when they are put on the spot, they spout, what I can term nothing else but nonsense and show no degree of understanding business and how it operates.

I asked my district representative's office about the bill and was not impressed with the lack of business knowledge and health care costs knowlege.

Above, I gave the cost of what I pay for health insurance.

From the link:
http://www.ufcw.org/issues_and_actions/walmart_workers_campaign_info/facts_and_figures/walmartonbenefits.cfm

Employees must pay $218 per month for family health care coverage from Wal-Mart.

That's less than what I pay. I also have looked into paying my own health costs, directly, for a number of reasons, one being I tend to job hop and I want to have medical care consistancy. Paying for health care for my family, the cost would be slightly higher than what I pay now. Either way, both are more than what WalMart workers pay, if that link is correct. (When paying for my own coverage, it is still group insurance).

More than 60 percent of Wal-Mart employees--600,000 people--are forced to get health insurance coverage from the government or through spouses’ plans—or live without any health insurance.

1. They don't break down the percentage of how many are "forced" to get it from government, spouse or live without.

2. Of those who live without, they don't give a breakdown of how many do so by choice.

3. "Forced" to get health care from their spouse? Uhhh.... My wife and I made a decision who had the best health coverage and that was the one we went with. If they are still covered, so what?

Wal-Mart has increased the premium cost for workers by over 200% since 1993

That's a lot, but I think that's better than the averge.

That link was from a union backed web site.

Here is another link:

http://reclaimdemocracy.org/walmart/health_insurance_program.php

Detractors point out that Wal-Mart covers only 48 percent of its employees. But according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, in the retail sector overall only 45 percent of workers receive health coverage from their own employer. Still, why do more than half of Wal-Mart's employees opt out of the company's health insurance?

For one thing, part-time workers who make up 25 percent of Wal-Mart's workforce are not eligible until after two years. Then there is the cost. Wal-Mart pays 67 percent of the cost of health insurance for employees, about equal to the retail industry average of 68 percent for family coverage—but, for individual health insurance, far below the 77 percent that retailers contribute on average.

Many employees opt out because they are otherwise covered. The company says that two-thirds of its employees are second-income providers, college students, and senior citizens. Many of these have health insurance through their spouse's employer, parent's plan, or retirement and Medicare programs. Thus about 40 percent of the company's workers are covered apart from Wal-Mart's plan.