For the young and not so young

Something for everyone.

So Many Lovely Photos to see

Artist is never the subject or could be

You never know when your picture is going to get snapped !!

This ain't about Nappy Hair

Don Imus gets a hand slap. Imus show will be suspended for two weeks. That's enough time for Sharpton and Jackson to cut some deals. In the meantime, the young women of Rutgers, whose got their backs?

Imus made his remark the day after the Rutgers team, which includes eight black women, lost the NCAA women's championship game to Tennessee. He was speaking with producer Bernard McGuirk and said "that's some rough girls from Rutgers. Man, they got tattoos ..."

"Some hardcore hos," McGuirk said.

"That's some nappy-headed hos there, I'm going to tell you that," Imus
said.

It appears Bernard MGuirk was the instigator in the hoes episode. Imus not to be outdone, attached the nappiness to the players. So if the sistas are not hoes or nappy-headed, where is the lawsuit?

Now I understand the National Organization for Women has gotten into the mix. Now you don't upset raced white women. Cause if momma not happy....

Imus could be in real danger if the outcry causes advertisers to shy away from him, said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio. The National Organization for Women is also seeking Imus' ouster.

NOW is a political organization. They got a form letter for you to send to the spokesperson, a woman, Karen Mateo, Communications VP of CBS Radio which owns WFAN, and to MSNBC television which airs and promotes the show:

I thought I had heard everything from the "shock jocks," but the statements made about the Rutgers players by Don Imus and Bernard McGuirk after the NCAA championship game hit a new low.

My disgust at the statements of Imus and McGuirk are exceeded only by my outrage that nothing has been done beyond a weak "apology" and a promise to watch the show more closely.

The Rutgers team worked hard and played hard, rising to compete in the national women's collegiate basketball championship.

These players deserve better from us, and from you, than hateful and insulting remarks.

Racism and sexism have no place on the air.

I ask you to take immediate action to remove both Don Imus and Bernard McGuirk from any role that permits them to continue spewing hatred and bigotry over the airwaves.

Are they fighting for the sistas? Or are you trying to get some free time for the sister, Hillary? You do know that NOW is a political action committee that endorsed Hillary? Pay attention !!! Ronald L. Martin was paying attention.

In bold print, I highlighted the important stuff. Now read in what order they have racial stuff. I mean (r)ace does come before (s)ex. But that's not how it reads on the website. Check it out, I'm not making this stuff up as I go along. We've been down this road before.

Anita Hill was tricked up when she was sexually harassed on TV. It was really about abortion rights for raced white women, and they did not trust Clarence Thomas for being on their side. But that sexual harassment stuff worked better in getting a whole lot of raced white women elected into Congress in 1992. But, it ain't going to work this time for Hilliary.

So don't let NOW bring in the noise about Hilliary unless the group is bringing in some compensationn for these young women at Rutgers. I don't think any of those women are running for any political office. We saw how Anita Hill was lied on and left out to dry.

Don Imus- I help nappy headed children

Don Imus was to appear on the Al Sharpton radio program.

By DEEPTI HAJELA, of the Associated Press writes:

He pointed to his involvement with the Imus Ranch, a working cattle ranch for children with cancer and blood disorders in New Mexico. Ten percent of the children who come to the ranch are black, he said.

"I'm not a white man who doesn't know any African-Americans," he said.

Imus said he hoped to meet the Rutgers players and their parents and coaches, and that he was grateful for the appearance on Sharpton's nationally syndicated show.

And what a spokesperson have to say about all of this:

Karen Mateo, a spokeswoman for CBS Radio _ Imus' employer and the owner of his New York radio home, WFAN-AM _ said the company was "disappointed" in Imus' actions and characterized his comments as "completely inappropriate."

I wonder when was the last time, Imus called her a ho?



Some a whole lot like a Bil-liary statement to me. I refused to say it was a huge expense mistake. I've not been able to get onto Imus show blog its down for maintenance. You think !!!

Here we go again, get to writing. all the information you need is from Zuky.

Afrospear-Ready for a brand new beat

I did it. The it is on my sidebar. I became a member of the afrospear. Names. Call it what you may, blackosphere/afrosphere/African-Americanosphere... But, I got my afrospear.

The symbol represents a concern many share in the blogosphere. Different concerns, but a common theme, a divide in the community.

I was concerned about the lack of African-American male bloggers in responses to Shaquanda Cotton. Of course, there were a few, but many where not presence on the site created for Free Shaquanda Cotton. No problem, just an insight.

So now I get to participate in the Afrospear challenge as it brings its movement. I read much of the material that has been posted on some of the sites. So, I am going to say, I think that many of the great minds will have an impact..the legal, the scholars. I believe they can explain legislations that are having a negative impact on our families in the prison system. I believe that Afrospear can help draft legislation to make changes. A grassroot net that must reach beyond the keyboard.

I find the creation of blogs troublesome. Simply because many who need the service offered by Afrospear are not on the internet. So I believe some other type of outreach program will need to be implemented. I suggest that we form a main blog, as a directory for those who do need the service of the afrospear. I suggest that those who do not have access to the internet be informed about the movement through webcast throughout the various cities that are represented in the afrospear.

I also agree with one of the bloggers, on the lack of brick and mortar participation from the afrospear in advocating for those most in need. I suggest that each blogger join an organization and implement the afrospear within such organizations. And the webcast could be one way of pulling in folks to learn how to blog. I suggest that a post goes up by one member, specifically about Afrospear agenda, once a week, a different blogger each week, and we all go over and comment.

This will change as the membership grows. I don't care who is the author, the article can be emailed to the host blogger, but a shared community. A model in which the Afrosphere can copy is African-American Political Pundit which does an excellent job for bloggers. And has already started a listing on African-American(Black) Opinion on the Afrospear members.

Perhaps these things are already being done, but I offer my two cents.

The post below is just something I wanted to share, and tell me what you think.To read the complete post go to Professor Zero.

None of these movements function effectively when the focus is on catering to the diverse needs of those enlisted in the ranks; the diversity can be acknowledged and supported, but a shared purpose must, for maximum effectiveness, remain the point of concentration. The common assumption that political action should be based on a fully shared–even identical–set of values and perspectives among those committed to a cause isn’t a good operational guide for effective organizing.

Within a given movement, differences are bound to exist among the rank and file in regard to class, race, gender, age, geographical location, religious belief and so on. But when those differences become the prime focus of attention, the energy that should be saved for working against a common oppressor gets diverted and sapped. To form powerful, effective political organizations, individuals cannot be allowed to let the differences that separate them usurp the agenda.

One central reason movements for social reform in this country have rapidly run aground is our commitment to the ideological belief (not the practice) of the supreme importance of the individual

Raced White Researcher studies Conservative Few Black Bloggers

I read about Antionette Pole's study from Dr. Lester K. Spence's spot. After reading the study I went back and left this comment on Spence site.:

I found the article and comments informative.
Thanks for the link to the “scholarly” paper. The paper did answer a question I had about African-American bloggers. Who is blogging? Although the sample was very small, it was interesting to learn the ages of 20-49, gender males, education master to law in the sampling.

I strongly disagree with the finding on discrimination, from my own experience. Plus, have had several bloggers express a degree of discrimination toward them
based simply on the assumption they are African-Americans or writing about topics about African-Americans.

I found it interesting that two of the bloggers cobb and prometheus 6 participated in the survey. Which suggest to me that the blackosphere is really small or they have a wide reaching audience.

Earlier, Spencer Overton had asked the question about emailing vs blogging among African-Americans on BlackProf. I comment there:

Interesting I write about Women and blogging and Spencer Overton over on BlackProf writes about the email usage among African-Americans. An email posted on the BlackProf spread like wildfire through the email community. Overton ask the question,

While there are a number of successful African American blogs, why does email continue to be such a big driver of political discourse in the African American community?

Well, let's see email is pretty much free. Yahoo and other makes it pretty simple to set up an email.


Once someone sends you something to read, with a click of the mouse you can send it to another person, effortless.

If they get an email that is from a friend or family marked urgent, it is sent to everyone they know. And if you check the chain mail list and find a friend or family member name missing you send it to the next person.


It's easy to get away with sending stuff on email on the job.

Email spam is easy to do when you are bored.

Email does not require you to know how to write.


Now blogging.

Blogging can be time consuming.

Blogging requires you to write.

Blogging requires you to post

Blogging may cost you money.

Blogging may require you to have your own computer.

I would suggest that many bloggers are young technically savvy folks.

Of course blogging does not require either, but that's my take.

I also believe many African-Americans bloggers are college students.

I suggest that the young students use myspace.


Email generation tend to be older African-Americans are unwillingly to give up time to learn about utilizing the internet beyond being a consumers. Many of the younger generation are using IM or texts on their cellphone. Blogging reaches a broader network than the more personal email.

Another person E.C. Hopkin posted:

A few more possible reasons why some Black folks aren't sharing their ideas with the whole world via popular Black-focused blogs?

THE TOO SMART TYPE
Some people believe they are too advanced to involve themselves in the good blog conversations my fellow commentators and I often have in these threads. Engaging us would be a waste of their time or would require them to spend to much time educating us.

THE LEISURE-LESS TYPE
Then there are some who would like to, but simply have too little time to mix it up with us in these blog threads. Those who do have too little time to contribute to our conversations make me even more grateful for the fact that I do have a few leisure hours each week I can afford to spend on these blog conversations. I'd hate to be so burdened by my labors and familial obligations that I would not be able to devote a few hours per week to engaging smart Black folks in these digital conversations.

THE TIMID TYPE
There are some whose skins are not quite thick enough to engage others in argumentative exchanges. And things can get aggressive on the best blogs, where some of the best commentators share their controversial ideas. Some are so afraid of an antagonistic rhetorical environment or an embarrassing confirmation that they got something completely wrong that they simply avoid these potentially traumatizing events by staying quiet.

THE CAUTIOUS ACADEMIC TYPE
There is also the type whose livelihood or self-esteem depends upon others believing he or she is exceptionally erudite, authoritatively scholarly, or incapable of making silly mistakes. These types are often careful not to share their unstudied ideas. Perhaps, they think they have too much to lose. Indeed, every time I see a lengthy (more than 100 words), unedited, unstudied, and controversial comment by a professional scholar in a blog thread, I view it as an act of courage and confidence.

THE DISCOURAGED BY BIG CROWDS TYPE
I suspect there are some who won't comment in a thread after a few dozen folks have packed it full of dozens of comments. Perhaps some believe that because so many conversations and debates have already begun or finished in the thread, too few folks are likely to pay attention to their comments. The threads that get filled up with dozens of comments quickest (the controversial political and cultural posts usually get a lot of attention here) might discourage these types.

EMAILS AS SHIELDS
Emails shield the fearful from widespread professional or social embarrassment, traumatizing blows to their self-esteem, disillusionment concerning their erudition, or simply having to deal with smart strangers' opposing viewpoints. Sharing one's speech via a blog, in ways that actually cause one to risk having a smart person disagree or expose an error, probably causes some to tremble in fear.

Closing comment from Overton:

When we started blackprof.com in September 2005 we appreciated the various attributes of blogs, and we suspected that blogs would eventually play a critical role in African American debate. How far are we from that tipping point? I don’t know. I continue to believe that it will happen. But for now, I think that email plays a constructive role in African American political discourse, and I’m thankful for that.

Other places to read about the study:

African American Political Pundits,Jack and Jill Politics and Francis L. Holland

Rutgers Women Basketball team-Natural curly or nappy headed?

I guess calling sista nappy headed hos is worse than calling them B**ch and hos.Or does it matter who does the name calling, for determining if there a villain to attack ? Don Imus will appear on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show. Sharpton wants Imus fired, but its okay for Imus to first appear on Sharpton's show. Rating, sistas and brothas, don't even turn on the radio.

So where is the real outrage? Rev. Jesse Jackson is going to lead a protest against NBC. And if Imus is lucky, Rev, Jackson will apologize for him. Or reduce it to a Fox News Compromise. Jack and Jill Politics calls it flip-flopping.

Outrageous. Who filed a lawsuit for the New Jersey Rutger Women's basketball team members for defamation of character and emotional distress? Let's settle this mess !!

Francis L. Holland has a long post on loving and freeing your African hair..

Elastic Borders-Fort Wayne cooks its population numbers

Thomas L. Guthrie, Associate Professor of Economics Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne writes

Over the longer run, the capacity of the Fort Wayne area to grow employment is likely about half that of the nation. This is based on the area’s relative dominance in the slow growth manufacturing sector (4) and its relatively low population growth.

Read the rest in Indiana Business Review.

The urban flight to the suburbs impacts the city's growth. Cities seek ways to grow their urban core. Immigration is one way to do so. An influx of a migrating foreign population masks a poor job market. Overpriced housing are contracted or rented to the new immigrants to hide the out migration abandonment of such housing.

The Journal Gazette reports

Many demographers associate shrinking populations with economic problems, typically poor job markets or prohibitive housing prices.

But it depends on how you work the numbers, according to Fort Wayne. Com.

But the growth and spread of Indiana’s cities cannot be denied, and the continuing population shift raises significant challenges, as well as opportunities:

Nope, not unless you have other folks who can read census reports.

Indiana now has one fewer city in the 100,000+ category, as Gary dipped below that mark with an estimated population of 99,516.

None of Indiana’s four remaining cities with more than 100,000 people (Indianapolis, Evansville, South Bend and Fort Wayne) saw a population gain from 2003 to 2004.
Population has decreased over the four-and-one-quarter years since Census 2000 in three of those four cities. Indianapolis saw a gain of only 0.3 percent over this period, while Evansville, South Bend and Fort Wayne sustained losses of 3.6 percent, 2.3 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively. (However, Fort Wayne would show a gain of 6.6 percent if growth due to boundary annexations was included.)

The abandoned areas turn to recruitment of employment by growing the population through consolidation. If their is a residency requirement that prohibit those who live outside the city boundary.

Fort Wayne is betting on a Baseball Park to further grow its population. The Harrison Square Park is deemed a catalyst for bringing non immigrants to live, work, and play in the urban core.

More from the report

Between 2000 and 2004, the unincorporated areas of our counties gained more people (111,000) than our cities and towns (43,000). People are making a distinct choice, a choice that allows them to be in close proximity to cities and towns in their counties, but not living within the city or town limits

How do you think the City of Fort Wayne was able to amass so much downtown land to sell to developers? But little funds are placed toward improving the urban schools, public schools.

Bird! Where did Spring go?

No Jobs Tom Smith but you got your RiverFront

See Councilperson Tom Smith(R) I told you so. You got your riverfront. But I did not tell you anything you already didn't know? You were just funning with the masses, at the council table.

And Mayor Dick has come up with more money to buy land. Or should I say the Mayor Dick has more of the tax payers dollars to spent. I think a more fitting name would be Real Estate Dick. It sorta of relates more to what is happening to our city or should I say people?

The city revealed it had signed an option in January to buy 29 acres of land owned by OmniSource in the area west of Clinton Street, south of the former YWCA property and east of Harrison Street.

Well that looks like that clears the way, for you to vote on Harrison Square, Councilperson Smith.

City Councilman Tom Smith, R-1st, has long been a proponent of riverfront development, saying he would support Harrison Square if it were in the area the city now plans to examine.

Smith said he is pleased the city obtained an option on the land and hopes to see it developed.

“That land is some of the most important land in the downtown area,” he said. “I think it’s the key to any and all future development.”

The city’s decision does not allay Smith’s concerns about Harrison Square because they are two separate projects, he said.

The full task force is expected to be appointed next week and will have about 25 members.

Candidate John Edwards says No to Fox News Debate

The News-Sentinel reports

Edwards to skip Fox News debate
MIKE BAKER
Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. - Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards on Friday pulled out of a second debate co-hosted by Fox News Channel, saying the cable network has a conservative slant.

The Edwards campaign said it will not attend the Sept. 23 debate hosted by Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, but officials added that Edwards will participate in a different debate hosted by the institute and CNN.

"We believe there's just no reason for Democrats to give Fox a platform to advance the right-wing agenda while pretending they're objective," said Jonathan Prince, Edwards' deputy campaign manager.

It's the second time Edwards has decided to skip a debate because of its affiliation with Fox News. Edwards decided in March that he would pass on an Aug. 14 debate in Reno, Nev., co-hosted by Fox News and the Nevada Democratic Party.

The Nevada Democratic Party canceled that debate just days after the Edwards announcement, citing comments by Fox News President Roger Ailes that the party found offensive. Ailes had made a joke comparing the name of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to that of Osama bin Laden.

Online activists and bloggers have assailed Democratic leaders who have tried to work with Fox News, saying the cable news network is biased.

The Democratic National Committee has sanctioned six debates before the 2008 primary season, but it has snubbed the Congressional Black Caucus Institute debate.

A call by The Associated Press to Fox News was not immediately returned.

---

Easter Morning Sunrise Service

Come join the 6:00 a.m. Easter Sunday Early Sunrise Service at True Love Baptist along with Greater Faith Baptist Church.

True Love Baptist Church
715 E Wallace St
Fort Wayne, IN 46803
260-745-4901

Delivering the Word-Women

Brenda Simpson-Father Forgive Them

Heather Gatson-Today, Should Thy Be With Me in Paradise

Earlene Stephens-Women Behold Thy Son

Tammy Hatch-My God Why Have Thy Forsaken Me?

Michelle Freeman-I Thirst

Alice Kelsaw-It Is Finished

Edgie Adams-Father To Thy Hand I Commit My Spirit

And he still has a job?

MSNBC's host Don Imus referred to the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos. Read more on African American news alert.

Remarks and video here
Apology and video here

I see a vision of tennis shoes ! no jobs..tennis shoes

Fort Wayne is a city for dreamers. Young folks and kiddies that's our theme. All geared towards the tourists,of course, not our children, to say what a great city we have here !! The 7' 4" tennis shoes arrived just in time to test them out on our young folks during spring break. No chocolate Jesus here.

The giant sneakers will pitter patter their way into our big Allen County Public Library and pose for awhile. By summertime the tennies will have made their way to our big park, Headwaters in time for the summer festivals. Of course the high tops could not miss an opportunity to show up on the basketball court, Spiece Fieldhouse await them for the big American Youth Basketball Tour.
>

I posted about the sport shoes back in January parts of the post is below:






Sport shoes will be lining the streets of Fort Wayne, Indiana for part of the summer 2007. Fort Wayne/Allen County Convention and Visitors Bureau is selling their "Room for Dreams" logo with a "Team Dreams' theme fundraising event that involves shoes.

For the second straight year, the American Youth Basketball Tour and the United States Specialty Sports Association will hold their championships on various days from July 5 to July 30 at Spiece Fieldhouse and about 10 other area gymnasiums. The two organizations liked Fort Wayne so much they’re back with an expected 600 teams, 15,000 people and an estimated $6 million windfall.

Read more on what another city did with the fiberglass shoes.

Congressional Black Caucus Institute vs Community

The Republicans must have gotten tired waiting on Senator Hillary Clinton to bash Senator Barack Obama fundraising success. The International Herald Tribune: Americas reports on the snarly remark made by Republican National Committee spokesman Chris Taylor.

Taylor was unavailable to dispute the numbers so he went after Obama's brainpower.

Obama reported campaign contributions of $25 million (€18.7 million) in the first three months of this year, about $1 million (€750,000) less than what Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign reported.

Republican National Committee spokesman Chris Taylor responded that maybe the infusion of money into Obama's campaign would lead to more specifics in his health care plans.

"With all these funds, maybe now he'll be able to hire someone to write a health care plan for him," Taylor said.

Taylor calm down.

But what's up with Congressional Black Caucus Institute?

It has been reported on various blogs,such as African American Political Pundit that the Congressional Black Caucus Institute has partnered with Fox News to carry two presidential debate. The Color of Change has a petition to shame CBCI. Electronic Village has an excellent article about the situation. Although, The "D" Spot suggest Fox is NBC is ABC, you get the picture.

But I wonder.

Is not CBCI following the lead of the African American community who continues to watch Fox and those who bow down and give their support to Senator Clinton, unquestioned. Senator Clinton need not bash Senator Obama as she plays nice as we quietly say nothing about the accomplishment of this man. According to Independent Org, Talk/Talk an estimated 50% of African American support Senator Clinton.

What if we turned off all the televisions in the African-American community for say..one week. What would happen? Let's stage a "One Week without T.V. blogger fans ! Now back to Hillary.

Sigh. Unbelievable. The fact ,a woman, is enough for a sista to vote for Senator Clinton sistas. Sad. And my brothas. How quickly we forget the three strikes Crime Bill(locked them up and throw away the key) under the first black president, Bill Clinton, as knighted by Toni Morrison, author of the bluest eyes. Just need a moment to catch my breathe...Now, tell me again the statistics on the brothas in prison (forget jail) compared to those brothas in college?

My brothas has distanced themselves from Obama because he is not brotha enough. Is this how we choose our leaders base on skin color and gender?

We have all the opportunities to check out the candidates qualifications, viewpoints and we of all people are hung up on color.we. In the afrosphere, blackosphere, African-Americanosphere, afronetizens, I have found few blogs in the blogcommunity that state they outright support Senator Obama. There were over 9000 blogs supporting Senator Obama. Of those 9000, how many are African-American bloggers?

What's up with all this unity in the blog?

I only ask, is not Senator Obama worthy of our support? Temple 3 you are so right about another one of our male legislator heroes. But the Dr. Rev. King, Jr. spoke to the masses too, and went to jail in spite of. It was the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who stated African-American needs a third party. In other words, not to march to the title of Democrats or Republicans but to independently select candidates.

FWCS Petition Color Battle for schools not students

Fort Wayne Community Schools repair battle has evolved into two camps. The fight is over a half of a billion dollars on schools on schools that educate the majority of African-American students, in the public school system. Camp one is code blue. Code blue sounds an alarm that the money would be better spent on improving students academic achievement.

Camp two is the yellow camp. Yellow sounds like a canary cautioning that the repair of the building will improve the learning environment and will be a beacon for improving students performance.

Which side wins? It depends on signatures.


Kevin Leininger writes.

Thirty thousand.

That’s the number of signatures opponents say they might need to defeat a $500 million school-improvement campaign. If they get that many, it would be a remarkable achievement. Probably even a record.

That's right the code blue name would need 30,000 signatures. Now we get to the meat of the problem. How are you going to get 30, 000 signatures when


Property owners are only allowed to sign the petitions.

Now according to the Allen County Auditor Office there are 91, 225 parcels in Fort Wayne that receive tax bills. But from households there could be an estimated 182, 450 property owners within the Fort Wayne Community School District.

Those it does not take a rock scientist to see that the estimate appears to suggest that at least two signature comes out of each parcels. Now we know that many couples are not marriage, but are living in houses as if they are married. Who really own the property, if the property is only in one name and the other person is signing it?

But even more troubling in bulking up the numbers of property owners to sign the petition comes from the fact that of the 91,225 parcels, 7,747 are businesses owners who can vote twice. Yet there are only 31,884 students attending Fort Wayne Community Schools. How many of these students parents are home owners? How many will of these parents signature will be missing from the petitions? Is it not these parents whom children are actually attending these schools? Do you think its these parents who do not want better and improved schools for their children?


But the signature must be collected within 30 days.

Not going to happen.

But, the increase in property taxes has already happened.

Why all the bellyaching?

Distraction. Property taxes are being increased and its been going on long before the decision to repair schools. But elected officials who are in charge of the budget express the need to prevent the tax payers from knowing they approve and sign off on the major tax increases by passing bloated budgets.

Home owners don't understand the elected officials are in their pockets, to insure jobs for their families and friends. Salaries and increases are in the budget, the elected officials just rewarded Mayor Dick a raise $130,000. Did that raise help improve students achievement? So home owners wrongly blame solely the school repairs for the tax increases.

Because the public schools have long been neglected, they are need of repair. And second with the mandates under No Child Left Behind, parents are able to remove their students from failing schools and placed them in other public schools. Nicer public schools in raced white neighborhoods.

Ese Isiorho reports

“As a large urban district, we continue to work hard to meet the accountability demands of the NCLB legislation,” Superintendent Wendy Robinson said in a statement.

FWCS is the second-largest district in the state, with nearly 32,000 students.

“AYP mandates spell success differently for large urban districts such as FWCS, which has to meet all criteria in 37 categories to be successful,” FWCS spokeswoman Debbie Morgan said in a statement.

Pleasant Center, Irwin, Harris and Waynedale elementary schools and Elmhurst High School missed making AYP because they fell short in just one subgroup.

As a district, FWCS has failed for the past four years to make AYP, but Robinson has said the district is attempting to improve student achievement. During FWCS’ last school board meeting March 26, she opened the floor for board members to discuss the district’s educational goals, which include accountability, leadership, focus and instruction. The board will meet periodically throughout the next few months to talk about specific topics in-depth.

“We applaud (NCLB’s) goal of success for all students,” Robinson said.

Some parents are not applauding NCLB and would rather see school closed than improved if that would mean their children would have to attend schools beyond their neighborhoods. Prometheus 6 blogs about

schools

segregated schools. Fort Wayne Community Schools have an enrollment of African-American students between 25-29% and 56 % raced whites. The African-Americans population is over 35,000 the estimated number of raced whites in the core of the city is probably 55,000. The boundary expansion has erased the city of Fort Wayne into other areas, which has reduced the African-American population to 8% and raced whites to 92%, as an estimation.

Segregated. They don't care if the schools caves in. That's one less school that their child will have to attend. And you thought it was about pretty buildings. Here sharing some G-itch stuff, here, and here.

Dogs and Cats, who next?

I eat a lot of fish. And I love me some chicken. Matter of fact, I am frying some chicken in the pan, right now. That's right frying. I love ribs too. And I will have me some burgers every now and then. But with the e coli scare I have scaled back on certain meats. So what happens, the moment I began to make my monster salads? That's right, something goes wrong with the lettuce !

Yeah yeah, I know they said they tracked down the bad lettuce.

But now what, I know I should have paid closer attention. Dogs poisoned with dog food. I know some of the elders were rumored to serve up some cat food to each other every now and then. I sometimes wonder to myself, is this really tuna that I am loving at the time I'm gobbing it on my salad. But I don't think folks are mixing up any dog food ingredients and serving it to folks, you think?


Well read here.

The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation into the pet deaths was focused on wheat gluten in the food. The gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but it could have been contaminated, the FDA said.

Paul Henderson, chief executive of Menu Foods, confirmed Friday that the wheat gluten was purchased from China.

Bob Rosenberg, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Pest Management Association, said it would be unusual for the wheat to be tainted.

"It would make no sense to spray a crop itself with rodenticide," Rosenberg said, adding that grain shippers typically put bait stations around the perimeter of their storage facilities.

The substance in the food was identified as aminopterin, a cancer drug that once was used to induce abortions in the United States and is still used to kill rats in some other countries, state Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker said.

"Any amount of this product is too much in food," Hooker said.

Did I see China.

Well my chicken is about done, or is this chicken? And if you thinking about downing a few malt liquor read what Dr. Lester K. Spence have to say before you take a sip.

FBI detained black wearing war protesters

Forget about the crips and bloods frothing at the mouth about folks and people wearing red and blue. Now we got law enforcement preforming preemptive strikes against war protesters who wear black.

The probable cause to arrest the protesters as they retrieved food from their parked van? They were wearing black -- a color choice the FBI and police associated with anarchists, according to the police records.

Find the article over on AAPP spot.

Building Community

The Free Shaquanda Cotton net campaign may have influenced or motivated another type of movement in the blogosphere. It seems that Asabagna had a vision and shared the idea with the free slave.

I always had an idea, a vision really, to create a diasporic-wide think tank type blog. I envisioned that it would focus on discussing issues, exchanging ideas and creating strategies, with the objective of developing concrete and viable solutions to tackle the concerns relating to those of us of African descent worldwide.

I shared this vision over at thefreeslave blog page and I was overwhelmed by how enthusiastically it was received. It is not necessarily an original idea on my part and others have previously either engaged in similar discussions or have created such a venue. However it garnered much discussion, offers of assistance and words of encouragement.

Others have joined in on the discussion and are rolling toward forming a think tank blog, Exodus Mentality, Francis L. Holland, Field Negro, Prometheus 6. . The think tank has branded the group with a theme and with a spear. Republic T may be now occurring in afrosphere/blackopshere/AfricanAmericanosphere/afronetizens/villagers.

After my post recounting the “blogroll purge,” I wrote another piece about the African American blogosphere. It got link by several other black bloggers, but has been overshadowed by the “purge” post. But I think there’s a link between the two, especially when it comes to African Americans and other minority groups and how they built communities of their own.

When they found themselves effectively shut out of the dominant power structure, they built their own. In some cases, when they were denied service or treated badly in existing establishments, they started their own and refused patronize establishments where they were neither respected or valued. They started their own newspapers, radio stations, social clubs, professional associations, etc., and they defined and celebrated success within those spheres.

They often did so out of necessity. Faced with a dominant power structure that wasn’t likely to change, they had no choice but to build their own. They did not accept the argument offered: that if they could not succeed under that status quo because they were not good enough. They created communities that served them well for a long time. (Probably because members of those communities assumed some responsibility to and for each other.)

That’s basically what I’m saying, that people who are frustrated with the what the believe is an insular top tier in political blogging (which is actually a very small world, especially when pared down to progressive political blogs only) should do. Stop pouring time, energy, passion, and bandwidth into theirs, and build your own.


The difference is that our spheres are naturally linked because instead of being solely based on factors like gender, religion, or ethnicity, we are also linked by interest and experience across our many spheres. If human nature creates systems in which inequality is inevitable, then human diversity — encompassing all of our varied experiences, passions, pass-times, and personal interests — may be the best way to overcome that inequality, or at least to start.

In the same way that sites like Amazon and phenomenons like eBay or Amazon have created the “Long Tail” by making an unlimited supply of content available to even the tiniest demand, the internet and blogging have made it possible for people who would once have been disparate and disenfranchised by distance to build communities where they can connect with one another and potentially an impact that would have been out of their reach before. It’s what Chris Anderson wrote about in The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, as well as on his blog.

To read the rest click here.


Other bloggers suggested ways to build community. Electronic Village with a family pledge. African American Political Pundit commented on Dr. Lester K. Spence on the building of community. And I can't forget the words of James Clingman, Jr of Blackonomic$, in stating if you want to rename a sign in your neighborhood just do it. It's is after all your neighborhood. I weighted in early on my views about the blogosphere here. The world is not flat but it has become more connected, and get little play by the established mainstream media including their African-American writers.

I am a Man- Obama-$25 millions

CNN reports Senator Barack Obama raised $25 millions. Senator Obama campaign raised over $23,500,000 for the primary.



Go to Obama website for the breakdown of the numbers.

How fitting on this day, when many in the community will be honoring the legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to be able to celebrate Senator Obama fund raising abilities to run for the United State's presidency.

Dr. King, Jr. was shot in Memphis, Tennessee on the balcony of the Loraine Motel on April 4, 1968.

Let us not ask the question what would Dr. King, Jr. do if he was here today. Let's ask what will you do in remembering the legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. crusade for the right to be a full blooded American citizen? What will you do to change America? Senator Obama is doing his part to keep Dr. King, Jr. dream alive.



hat tip to BlackProf.

Blogger Released from Jail

Josh Walsh, a blogger(8) spent eight months in jail, according to a story in the Washington Post. The federal government wanted a video that Walsh had recorded. The U.S. attorney office finally offered a deal in which Walsh accepted as a get out of jail. Walsh holds the record for the longest contempt of court charge by some one in the United State media.

A San Francisco blogger who spent nearly eight months in jail for refusing to testify about an anarchists' demonstration was released yesterday after turning over a videotape of the protest and posting it on his Web site.

Josh Wolf, 24, also answered two questions from prosecutors, after striking a deal that ends the longest contempt-of-court term ever served by someone in the U.S. media.

This should get journalists to going, a blogger as part of the media. For shame.

The case sparked a First Amendment debate over whether Wolf is a journalist and whether he deserved protection for the video he shot of the 2005 protest against a G-8 summit meeting in Scotland, since he made no explicit promises of confidentiality. Wolf sold other parts of the tape to local television stations and posted those portions online. In reaching the agreement with prosecutors, Wolf backed off his original position that he would not turn over the footage.

Do bloggers have first amendment protection?

Email vs. blogging

Interesting I write about Women and blogging and Spencer Overton over on BlackProf writes about the email usage among African-Americans. An email posted on the BlackProf spread like wildfire through the email community. Overton ask the question,

While there are a number of successful African American blogs, why does email continue to be such a big driver of political discourse in the African American community?

Well, let's see email is pretty much free. Yahoo and other makes it pretty simple to set up an email.


Once someone sends you something to read, with a click of the mouse you can send it to another person, effortless.

If they get an email that is from a friend or family marked urgent, it is sent to everyone they know. And if you check the chain mail list and find a friend or family member name missing you send it to the next person.


It's easy to get away with sending stuff on email on the job.

Email spam is easy to do when you are bored.

Email does not require you to know how to write.


Now blogging.

Blogging can be time consuming.

Blogging requires you to write.

Blogging requires you to post

Blogging may cost you money.

Blogging may require you to have your own computer.

I would suggest that many bloggers are young technically savvy folks.

Of course blogging does not require either, but that's my take.

I also believe many African-Americans bloggers are college students.

I suggest that the young students use myspace.


Email generation tend to be older African-Americans who are unwilling to give up time to learn about utilizing the internet beyond being consumers. Many of the younger generation are using IM or texts on their cellphone. Blogging reaches a broader network than the more personal email.

I had only one class in computers... to learn workprocessing. Curiosity keeps me coming back.

Easter Chocolate for everybody

Censorship of writing has a long history. But so does art. A huge chocolate image was created in time for this year Easter season to celebrate a man who died for our sins. Sweet Jesus. But, some folks don't want to see it...a Chocolate Jesus.

When Mel Gibson movie the Passion hit the theatre, the lovers of Christ, somehow forgot the rule of what would Jesus do, and attacked the movie. Now the artist Cosimo Cavallaro who created a chocolate image of Jesus has had his work somewhat banned, or at least the exhibit cancelled.

We pass images of Jesus all the time. But this chocolate Jesus got folks in such an uproar. Most folks loves chocolate. The stores are full of chocolate treats for Easter. It is such a sinful treat.

It appears that not only was Jesus a delightful milk chocolate, but he had a penis wait a chocolate penis at that. I guess Jesus penis for all to see was too much for the Catholics. Not banning pedophiles, but a chocolate Jesus, me think.

Word of the milk chocolate Christ infuriated Catholics, including Egan, who described it as "a sickening display." Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League, said it was "one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever."

On Friday, Donohue said he was "delighted with the outcome" after hearing of the cancellation. But Donohue was still angry with Semler for describing his criticism of the sculpture as "a Catholic fatwa."

"He had no business saying my letter of protest was hate speech," Donohue said. "It just goes to show the guy is out of his mind."

The sculpture was to debut Monday evening, the day after Palm Sunday and just four days before Christians mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The final day of the exhibit was planned for Easter Sunday.

The hotel and the gallery were overrun Thursday with angry phone calls and e-mails about the exhibit. Semler said the calls included death threats over the work of Cavallaro, who was described as disappointed by the cancellation.

"In this situation, the hotel couldn't continue to be supportive because of a fear for their own safety," said Semler. Cavallaro still hoped the sweet sculpture could go on display elsewhere, according to Semler.

But we see naked statute all the time. But they are not Jesus, so it's okay. And for gosh sake they are not chocolate.


It unbelievable but I think a chocolate Jesus was just too deep..chocolate that is. Besides the chocolate Jesus was too big. Simply too big for the children to see. He was much bigger than the Easter Bunny, a full six feet

!

Well what next to offend the religious right,Obama as Jesus?

SJR-7 Amendment to the Indiana Constitution -Dead

Advance Indiana is celebrating the death of SJR-7. SJR-7 would have constitutionally banned same sex marriage in the State of Indiana. Political parties on both sides voted the amendment down. The Democrats cited the fact that Indiana already had laws on the book banning same sex marriage. And Indiana Court of Appeal has ruled in favor of upholding the ban.

But to give Democrats a finger snap for voting down the amendment, I don't understand. Hey it was not because of the same sex ban that they voted against the resolution. It was that little tricky language that would have have robbed "keeping house couples" benefits, that carried the day.

That second paragraph screwed Indiana General Assembly from Constitutionally ousting same sex union off the land of Indiana. It was legal incidents of marriage that killed no amendment, not Democrats.

But I'm still voting for Obama. What the heck is the same sex community thinking?

Women get dissed on the blog

I started blogging in June 2006. I would have started earlier, but I kept asking around for help to get started. I was dismissed or told I don't know. So, I realized I needde to commit to putting in the time to build a blog. I knew I wanted to be anonymous. I was aware of the sick people in cyberspace. Leeches seeking out ways to get into your private space. One of the cases I studied back in in early 2000 had to do with sex predators online making friendly with children. This would be a dangerous place for the naivete.

I entered chat rooms and found adults wanting to hook up. This was not my objective. I was seeking expertise in different areas that were not available in my hometown atmosphere. I started out with Black Planet. It was pretty interaction, but young children were interacting in grown folks conversation. So, I left Black planet and headed toward blogging. I selected a name for myself, a generic name, Independent. Independent was my political stance. I quietly made my debut.

Nothing happened. No traffic. I went to other spots and made my comments and safely returned to my blog, to wait for them to come see about me. My blog I could write whatever.. that is until one day, my blog would take on a new direction. I was told to read a posting on another local blog. I did and added my two cents. Big mistake.

My two cents was not wanted and it upset the tranquility of the local blogosphere. For me, an African-American there would be hell to be paid in offering up that two cents. It quickly became a local group blog to discover who is this credo. To discredit my blog and my writing, it was essential that personal information be quickly gathered it did not matter if it was truth, just the semblance of truth was all that matter.

But, unbeknownst to the culprits, I was collecting the attacks as they began to turn personal and racial. It became apparent that at least one thing was certain, I was not one of them. I was not worthy to be counted among the local blogger community.


I thought about starting anew. But instead, I made it crystal clear, who I was, an African-American and a woman, in the change to the title of my blog. No more wondering, local bloggers, yes I was indeed African-American and a woman to top it off. I took the risk of entering a male dominated raced white community of bloggers and integrated it. My rule: attack my thoughts but no racial attacks would be allowed on my blog.

I had read other African-American bloggers demanding the same. And it made sense, especially after one African-American female shut down her site, after being attacked by raced white women. Simply because she was voicing her opinion. I would have to be stronger and sing a little dittie called, and I am telling you...

The issue of blogging while something other than raced white would return upon a visit to African-American Political Pundit post listing bloggers who addressed the issues of blogging while black or brown. And now it appears that raced white women have been dissed in the blogosphere. Misogyny gone wild.

I found this out by doing a click over to Michelle Malkin website. Malkin had a post titled Liberal female bloggers discover Web misogyny... Now that was not my purpose for visting Malkin, this was, The John Doe Manifesto. Web misogyny, nevertheless caught my attention and took me to Huffington Post, where I found Misogyny in the blogsphere:The Debate Continues. The debate continues because it appears that not unlike our sista, Kortney Ryan Ziegler as reported on ColorLines, another female blogger stopped posting.

Melissa Lafsky posted on Huff and Stuff about an anonymous death threat aimed at the female blogger, Kathy Sierra. Sierra maintained the site until her address was posted after the death threat on the site, and that was enough to stop her from blogging on creating passionate users. It appears a typed and posted death threat is not protected speech. but the threat was enough to cause economic damage, Sierre, a techie decided to cancel a ETech presentation at a conference after the death threat.

But some of the bloggers in the community believe it does not matter the issue of gender based blogging. Bloggers of all type must have thick skin. Joan Walsh of Salon.com entered the discussion, and weighed on the issue of Women Web ABuse@ or WWA on whether or not female bloggers need to just cowboy up.

...Is Sierra another woman silenced by vicious online sexism, or just a wuss? Were the threats of violence real? Or is she the real bully, organizing a "lynch mob" to win her blogosphere battle?

I avoided writing about the mess for a day or two because I had mixed feelings about it. Ever since Salon automated its letters, it's been hard to ignore that the criticisms of women writers are much more brutal and vicious than those about men -- sometimes nakedly sexist, sometimes less obviously so; sometimes sexually and/or personally degrading. But I've never admitted the toll our letters can sometimes take on women writers at Salon, myself included, because admitting it would be giving misogynist losers -- and these are the posters I'm talking about -- power. Still, I've come to think that denying it gives them another kind of power, and I'm trying to sort that out by thinking about the Kathy Sierra mess in all its complexity.

Power. Does power allows for certain abuse in the blogosphere?
Was it that need for power when some of these same women tolerated the blackface of Joe Lieberman as okay on the blog? Silence.

However, the newspaper picked up the story of the death threat of Sierra. The media is outraged when women are denigrated on the blogosphere but ignore the same type of experience by African-Americans on the blogosphere? How come?

Both should be handled with swiftness, as the backlash came and prompted the blackface to be taken down from Huff and Stuff. But does the netosphere really provide an equal opportunity for all users regardless of their background? Or is it an exclusive marketing tool for the rich and the famous?

Or does the blogosphere mirror our america? Is the message to African-American you are consumers and are not a part of the global marketing occurring in the blogosphere?

AAPP inquires whether or not campaign dollars will be spent on African-Americans blogspots? Does African-Americans blogs matter? Jeanette Ponder was profiled in the print media, but her blog was not mentioned. When African-American bloggers united in an online campaigning, Howard Witt,of the Chicago Tribute gave a generic mention to bloggers! But not a nayer African American blogger link was mentioned. African-American links matters!

Just ask Francis L. Holland. Holland was censored from Daily Kos. The censorship occurred when African-Americans do not participate in the group think and challenge the one sided conversations. And when attempting to participate beyond the African-American audience, African-American bloggers are censored. That appeared to be what happened to me, as my website was taken over and redirected by a raced white blogger. But who gave him the authority simply because he was unable to deal with opinions from an African-American woman.

Why is this acceptable behavior in the blogosphere? But more importantly why are we women and African-American bloggers not banning together to capture the dollars from those who do not want us on the Afro/Blackosphere/netizens, villager/African-Americans blogworld. Where is the marketing strategy on the net for us?

This post can be found on African American Political Pundit.

Where is the game plan

Jonathan Ray, CEO of the Urban League suggested at the Men of 's meeting that as an organization it can't be everything to all people. Ray was suggesting to the Men of Action group a need to focus on one area and do that area of focus well. This was after I had suggested that many of the programs that Men of Action were brainstorming were readily available resources in the community. Just knowing how to access these resource and incorporate them would free up valuable manpower and hours. To my surprise many leaders of the group were not aware of resources or contacts. How can this be,as I begin to feel frustration. How can you lead when you can't provide the people what they need or show them where to get their needs met?

Anyways, I goes over to Villager, and I find a lovely article about NAACP disagreement with Bruce Gordon. Gordon wanted to incorporate a service element in growing membership. The Board members did not necessary want to provide services but to continue battling the corporations on the legal battle fields. In essence, NAACP was leaving the component of meeting the service needs of the people to the Urban League. The lack of mutual agreement and the NAACP lost Bruce Gordon.

What it is means that the Board privileges its historic identity and therefore, honors the struggle to achieve full civil rights by a forceful agenda and set of strategies.

This calls into question any attempt to change the organization's mission into a service role. Without question, as Gordon has indicated, there is a huge role for leadership in turning inward and marshalling the strengths of the Black community to do what is necessary to achieve our goal of self-determination. However, the NAACP cannot do both civil rights and social service, effectively. And why should it, there is a fine black social service organization in existence known as the National Urban League, created just one year after the NAACP, such that they were clear then of the difference between the functions of the organizations. We have gotten somewhat confused today.

The article suggest that the Board members and Bruce Gordon could have come to a mutual agreement, I believe. The article suggest that the civil right organization battled for laws to be written. But, implemented of the law for the needs of the people is the current and even harder battle in which the NAACP should be focusing on.

What we are seeing is that in some ways, the fight to establish civil right laws was easier than its implementation, since all of them have been distorted to a major degree. Thus, the mission to infuse meaning into these laws is essentially one that pre-supposes a constant confrontation with systemic oppression, and it should do the work of such organizations - even if it continues to make all of us uncomfortable. For, as Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, it is this discomfort that produces the seeds of change.

In essence, the people needs to know how these laws are being used to further oppress them rather than used in a manner to improve their lives. The purpose of the law is not to help the servant but to maintain the master house. This is the distortion. The gatekeepers may appear as nice guys, but they lack a pure,clean and good heart. It's a difference.

So, when I suggest that gun amnesty program is a front and not meeting the needs of the people. I say it is a photo op for a political objective rather than meeting the social needs of the community. The community wants crime reductions for safe neighborhoods and jobs for their families. And I surmise to achieve these goals, to reduce crime and fund jobs for our youth, both the Urban League and the NAACP can do this. And not allow Sheriff Fries to waste precious dollars to help our community be used for photo ops. So why is not the NAACP addressing the laws and the Urban League the jobs to achieve this goal simultaneously? Men of Action what is your strategy or is this one more photo op moments, here, here and here.

Skating around the Issue

The Men of Action held a meeting at the NAACP Office at 1521 E. Pontiac Street to address the issue of guns in the community and Sheriff Ken Fries MetroSquad. I believe the focus should be on jobs for youth in reducing the amount of drug traffiking. Many of these youth will be arrested for drugs and receive a felony record which will prevent them from obtaining legal work. Gun Amnesty programs are good photo ops, does nothing for reducing crime.

However it was great to see three generation of men in the room talking about issues impacting our community. Now, if the group could focus on meeting the needs of the community rather than flossing for the Sheriff's program. The Men of Action is planning a job fair to be held at the Urban League on April 21, 2007. The next meeting will be held on the first Monday of May. Urban League President Jonathan Ray was in attendance at this meeting.

Can a woman running for president raise more funds than a man?

Senator Hillary Clinton know that question is one of many for a woman running for any political office. The question becomes even more relevant when an African-American male enters the race. The deadline for financial reports to the Federal Election Commission is April 15. Senator Hillary Clinton has reported over #26 million. This amount was collected from January through March with additional $10 million from the Senate campaign. Senator Clinton earned the title for collecting a record amount for any candidate. The amount is even more surprising because of the fact that women campaign fundraising does not rise to the level of their male counterpart.

Senator Clinton had a secret weapon that help build her coffer beyond the Clinton name recognition. It became a two person team, with former President William (Bill) Clinton raising funds for his wife run to the White House.

Now folks are waiting with baited soundbites to report on the fundraising success of new comer, inexperienced Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Senator Obama, a first term senator, entered the presidency race as a relatively unknown. How will this candidate measure up against the more experienced Bil-liary Clinton team?

The Washington Post reports that the lean mean machine precision machine of Obama 08 may be closer than many people would expect to come from the Obama camp.

The biggest shoe waiting to drop is still Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) Rumors are pegging Obama at more than $20 million -- a staggering sum if true.

If the number are there exceeding Senator Clinton's millions it may cause some critic to rethink whether or not Senator Obama, an African-American can compete with the name recognition of a former president. Nevertheless, Obama fundraising ability is impressive when viewed in terms of competing with names like Senator John Edwards and other in the field of Democratic nominees. USA Today reports that Senator Edwards doubled the amount raised from the last time he ran from #7.4 to $14 million.

However, even the high number of $26 million for Senator Clinton does not tell the truth of a female contender's ability to raise funds when competing among the men. Blogger weigh in here. A lot is at stake if Senator Clinton is unable to beat Senator Obama in the fundraising category.

First Amendment Protection-Amy Sorrell

No surpise that Amy Sorrell would be fired by EACS. Where is all these first amendment right folks? And what happened to her legal protection under the law, she is not a criminal? Silence, because she supported students' right over the status quo, the principal and board members. Was the law applied to Sorrell in a fair and just way? If not, Sorrell was not treated as an equal under the laws that govern our country.


Harvard Crimson reports on censorship by administrators:

Due to Supreme Court precedent set 19 years ago in Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, public high school and middle school media are currently only entitled to full first amendment protection if they are established as “public forums” for student expression. A recent decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals extended the Hazelwood decision to public colleges as well. That ruling was extremely troubling in its failure to see a clear distinction between a high school and college environment—in the latter, there is a far greater need for strong, independent press, a greater emphasis on the freedom and diversity of ideas, and a greater capacity for responsibility among journalists.

Hat tip to Indiana law blog