Prometheus 6 - A good cause

Economics vs Quality of Life: Hard to tread water when you're surrounded by speedboats

Thu, 14 Jul 2005 06:02:29 -0400

Quote of note:

"You have a lower half of the wage distribution in the United States that has not experienced any income gains for a long time now," said Barry P. Bosworth, an economist at the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution. "But from a macro perspective this doesn't have much impact."

Even as the average worker's wages are stuck in neutral, corporate profits, professionals' incomes, gains from investments and executive compensation - the kind that frequently comes in the form of stock options - are all surging, supporting healthy gains in the economy.

How Long Can Workers Tread Water?
By EDUARDO PORTER

um...he can sit by the door?

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 03:34:12 -0400

Quote of note:

Yet, the looming question is what the 68-year-old Mr. Powell, who served in the military for 35 years and rose to the rank of four-star general, can offer a venture capital firm that specializes in the financing of biotechnology start-ups and technology companies like Google and Netscape Communications, to name two of its more successful investments.

Seriously...it's like an insurance company hiring a ex-football star.

Mr. Powell has successfully ascended to Brahmin class. I'm impressed.

Off the World Stage, Taking a Role in Venture Capitalism
By GARY RIVLIN

A circuitous route to absurdity

Mon, 10 Jan 2005 04:41:25 -0500

Going through the headlines in the dread RSS reader, I started to read this

What Happened in Ohio
I don't usually let other people do my thinking for me, but I confess I'd been waiting for Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) to tell me what to think about the voting irregularities that marred the November elections in Ohio.

when this

Accepting Politics In Science
The Bush administration has been hammered over the past few years by accusations that it is "politicizing science," especially through the practice of stacking advisory panels with political partisans. For instance, in 2002 a professor at the University of New Mexico claimed that an invitation to join the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse was rescinded when he failed to express to an agency official his support for President Bush.

caught my eye. Given that I feel bad and incomplete data can screw the best of intentions, and given that I feel that is the Bushista plan all along I thought I'd give it a read.

As of this writing I haven't read either op-ed. I got...distracted

Role models

Thu, 8 Jul 2004 01:34:26 -0400

S. Africa as Seen in a Mirror
A reporter returns a decade after apartheid's fall to find blacks and whites taking different roles in a country with pride in its transition.
By Scott Kraft
Times Staff Writer

…As a correspondent in South Africa from 1988 to 1993, I watched the dying breaths of apartheid: The failed attempt to force blacks into autonomous "homelands." The dismantling of laws imposing racial separation. The week in 1990 that the African National Congress was unbanned and its leader, Nelson Mandela, freed. And I returned in 1994 when the black four-fifths of South Africa's 45 million people got their first chance to cast a free vote.

When I returned again recently, I found a country that, at first, felt and looked familiar. The haze of coal smoke and mining dust still carpeted the mile-high metropolis of Johannesburg. The combis, vans packed with black commuters, still speeded to and from the sprawling township of Soweto. Thickets of squatter shacks still pressed against the road from Cape Town's airport to Table Mountain. And the singular beauty of this land, from its shimmering veld to its pristine beaches, was undiminished.

But, on closer inspection, it was clear that 10 years of black majority rule had brought profound change. An aggressive affirmative action program had lifted blacks into private industry and swelled the black middle class. All-white schools had become predominantly black schools. All-white suburbs were deeply integrated.

What was equally remarkable, though, was what the black majority had not done. It had not used its new upper hand to crush the white minority. It had not taken property from whites or jailed leaders of the former regime. It had not erased the achievements of white rulers from its history books. In fact, the victors had displayed a confidence and magnanimity rarely seen in post-revolutionary societies.

Race once dominated conversations here. But no longer. Today, South Africans complain most frequently about crime, and they've built higher security walls and hired more private guards. They criticize the government's mishandling of the AIDS epidemic that now claims 600 lives a day. They lament the persistent poverty, fed by an unemployment rate of more than 20% — twice that, by some estimates.

And, when asked, they look back in surprise that their country has undergone a peaceful transition from black oppression to multiracial democracy.

I'm doomed, I tell you

Mon, 5 Jul 2004 16:53:02 -0400

I get the whole Stargate SG-1 series on DVD and what does the Sci Fi Channel do?

TO: Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Stargate Command
General George Hammond, USAF

On behalf of the people of the United States, I congratulate you and the Stargate SG-1 team for discovering the hidden Antarctic base of the Ancients, the creators of the Stargates. We now possess the knowledge to travel farther through the cosmos than ever before.

Dr. Weir is assembling an elite team to explore — for the first time — outside our own galaxy. The Stargate Command group currently in Antarctica is already discovering unique new technologies that will aid us as we strike out to the Pegasus Galaxy and beyond.

Yet we must remember this: With all these boundless possibilities will come new threats. Is the balance of risk worth it? I wholeheartedly say yes. And if I may add, I envy those about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

July 15th is the series premiere. Will I watch this? Is a bear Catholic? Does the Pope sh…wait, that's not right…

A little historical analysis on Haiti

Mon, 22 Mar 2004 13:20:41 -0500

In 1920 The Nation published an article by James Weldon Johnson titled Self-Determining Haiti: The American Occupation . That article is up on Africana.com, with an introduction by Professor Kim Pearson.

AN ECONOMIST, NOT A LINGUIST

Wed, 18 Feb 2004 03:54:09 -0500

N. Gregory Mankiw, President Bush's chief economist, who stirred controversy by suggesting that shipping service jobs overseas could be good for the economy, said his comments were "far from clear and were misinterpreted." Mr. Mankiw, speaking to the National Economists Club, said nothing he said should have been construed "as praising U.S. job losses." Any lost job "is an awful experience" for workers and their families, he said, adding that he had learned from his misstep that "economists and noneconomists speak very different languages."

…which is why regular people making decisions based on their "understanding" of economics is ungood. It's why I'm making a point of understanding both the text and context of economics.

One MORE "one more thing"

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 17:14:18 -0500

If "National Black United Fund" is too general, you can

Get with one of the local affiliates
Pick a particular member of the collective that focuses on an issue you find critical.

One more thing

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 17:09:59 -0500

I found this thoroughly misnamed but very interesting collection of factoids at the National Black United Fund web site.

THE STATE OF BLACK AMERICA

The state of Black America is a study of gains and gaps. NBUF will continue to collect cross-cutting information and update this section.

PHILANTHROPY FACTS

* During the 1800’s, hundreds of organizations provided assistance to the Underground Railroad and the Abolition Movement (Twenty-First Century Foundation, 2001).

* Black churches and mutual aid associations were the first Black philanthropic organizations (Twenty-First Century Foundation, 2001).

* After the Civil War, schools and education were the main focus of Black philanthropy (Twenty-First Century Foundation, 2001).

* The John F. Slater Fund (1882) was the first philanthropy in the United States devoted to education for Blacks.

* The Negro Rural School Fund (1907), was created by Philadelphia Quaker An T. Jeanes. The fund supported Black master teachers (Jeanes supervisors) who assisted rural Southern schools (Southern Education Foundation, 2001).

* The Virginia Randolph Fund (1937) was created to honor the first of these “Jeanes Teachers” with monies raised by Jeanes teachers across the South (Southern Education Foundation, 2001).
* More than half (52%) of black households make charitable donations (White House Council of Economic Advisors, 2000).

* Blacks are more likely to make charitable contributions than Whites (White House Council of Economic Advisors, 2000).

* Blacks are more likely to give to religious organizations than to formal philanthropic groups: about 60% of black giving is to churches (White House Council of Economic Advisors, 2000).

* Racial and ethnic minority communities receive a lower proportion of grants and also receive smaller grants than mainstream communities (National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, 2000).

I found my February charity

Wed, 28 Jan 2004 17:01:55 -0500

The National Black United Fund moves into the Good Causes box for Black History Month.

WHAT WE DO

The National Black United Fund (NBUF) performs three key roles in taking Black American community-based philanthropy to new levels:

Building Black Philanthropy

NBUF and its 20 local Black United Funds work to persuade Black Americans to take their tradition of giving to new levels. We specialize in Customized Philanthropic Giving Programs, empowering Black Americans to invest in the way that works best for them.

We also raise funds through employee payroll deduction campaigns in both private and public sectors, the Combined Federal Campaign, individual donations, foundation grants, corporate giving, endowment funds and bequests.

NBUF brings new philanthropic dollars into local Black American communities by educating and securing the commitment of individuals who understand charitable giving, but who historically have not participated in organized giving programs.

Growing Local Black United Funds (BUFs)

The national office of NBUF provides administration, management, research, advocacy and technical assistance for the 20 local affiliates. Grants are distributed by the affiliates to community-based organizations and institutions serving the Black American community.

NBUF is also the corporate sponsor of the National Black United Federation of Charities (NBUFC), a federation of over 45 national Black American non-profit organizations engaged in social justice, policy advocacy, community development, and charitable services.

Leading the Way

Shortly after its birth some 30 years ago, NBUF took legal action to break the monopoly which many traditional mainstream charities held over the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), which resulted in the inclusion of thousands of ethnic, alternative, and social change organizations in CFC.

NBUF uses its national platform to redefine the challenges and goals for diversity, democracy, and ethnic self-help in the charitable and philanthropic fields. NBUF’s national office provides a variety of services to its local affiliates and community-based organizations, including campaign management, fund development, fund management, strategic planning, and board training. NBUF also provides training and support in professional fund-raising standards and accountability systems. And we help create new models for democratic access and diversified fund-raising workplaces.

In the 21st century, NBUF is pursuing these goals on a new and broader scale, reaching new Black American and other philanthropic audiences with a strategy to make Black self-help more systematic and sustainable for the challenges of the future.

Breaking New Ground for Nearly 30 years

Since its founding in 1972, the National Black United Fund has continually broken new ground, both in reinvigorating the Black tradition of self-help and in shattering barriers to philanthropic giving to charities serving the Black community. NBUF's proud record of achievement includes:

1972: The leaders of the Brotherhood Crusade of Los Angeles - an organization creating a strategic model for Black fund?raising and self?help - found the National Black United Fund to spearhead similar community-based efforts around the country. NBUF establishes affiliate organizations in Boston, Detroit, Fort Worth and Los Angeles.

1970s: NBUF fills the gap left by traditional mainstream funding sources which invest less than 2 percent of their resources in organizations led by Black Americans.

1976: Seeking to achieve philanthropic justice and equity, NBUF takes legal action to join the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), after being denied entrance twice.

1980: NBUF breaks the barrier, winning admission to the CFC. This landmark victory not only allows federal employees to donate to NBUF through payroll deductions - it paves the way CFC participation by more than 800 national organizations, many serving Black and other minority communities. And it sets a precedent that opens up state, county and municipal employee payroll deduction campaigns for NBUF.

1980s: NBUF dramatically expands our participation in employee payroll deduction campaigns, establishes new affiliates, and matures into the only charitable network expanding Black American philanthropy by building community capacity and Black-owned assets.

1991: NBUF organizes the National Black United Federation of Charities (NBUFC), through which Black non?profits come together as a collaborative fundraising entity.

1992: NBUF organizes the MAARK (Maintaining Black American Responsibility and Kinship) program to better connect Black American resources to Black community-based non?profit organizations.

1993: NBUF convenes the "Collaboration, Networking, and Partnership Institute" to foster collaboration and partnerships among local affiliates and national federation members.

1997: NBUF inaugurates its annual sponsorship of the Community and Economic Development Resource Center, which provides incentive, information, and workshops on community groups participating in economic and community development.

2000: NBUF and its affiliates raise and donate more than $6.5 million, while NBUFC raises in excess of $1.5 million.

I think 25,000 casualties creates a good cause

Sun, 28 Dec 2003 03:17:41 -0500

Islamic Relief is taking donations to help deal with this disaster. See the column on the right.

Not to downplay the earthquake at all, but I noticed they have a fund to help out with famine in Africa, so I had to add a link to that as well. The African famine link may well become a permanent fixture.

Iran Quake Toll Rises to 25,000; Injured Fill Hospitals, and Streets
By NAZILA FATHI

Published: December 28, 2003

KERMAN, Iran, Dec. 27 — As rescue workers raced to the ancient city of Bam, officials there raised the death toll from its 12–second earthquake on Friday to 25,000, and worried that it could go much higher.

The interior minister, Abdolvahed Moussavi Lari, said on state television from Bam: "The city is ruined. More than 70 percent of it is destroyed."

Tens of thousands of the injured crowded field hospitals or lay helplessly in the streets. Survivors and rescuers dug frantically to uncover those still trapped.

In Bam, Reuters reported, one man, Taher, cried over the body of his teenage son, calling out, "Wake up, wake up!" Another parent, Fatemeh, 35, mourned her two children, saying, "I am burying myself in this grave."

Aftershocks jolted the area, shaking down the already crumbled low–rise dwellings of clay tile, brick and concrete block.

Dozens of international relief flights and supply shipments sped on their way, transporting everything from skilled rescue workers to water purification tablets. The United States said it was sending tons of medical supplies in a military airlift, as well as rescue squads and medical teams.

Most rescue workers were flying here to Kerman, to make their way by land to Bam, 120 miles to the southeast.

Iradj Sharifi, rector of the faculty of medicine in Kerman, said that in the pre–dawn earthquake, "Five thousand people were killed on the spot and there are 20,000 people under the rubble."

Brigadier Mohammadi, commander of the army in southeastern Iran, told state television, "We need help — otherwise we will be pulling corpses, not the injured, out of the rubble."

There were grim but uncertain predictions that the death toll — in a 2,000–year–old city of 80,000 people — might keep growing.

"As more bodies are pulled out, we fear that the death toll may reach as high as 40,000," said Akbar Alavi, the governor of Kerman, the provincial capital, according to The Associated Press. "An unbelievable human disaster has occurred."

World AIDS day

Mon, 1 Dec 2003 14:36:34 -0500

I wasn't going to do this yet. But you start reading and listening and thinking…

My gay community ain't as big as it used to be. Not like it was ever that vast, and a significant chunk of it was lipstick lesbians anyway. It's more like I went this way and they went that way. So most of the people I've lost to AIDS weren't gay. The gay folks I knew established some discipline, fast.

And actually, if you don't care about gay folks getting AIDS, you wouldn't much care about the other folks I lost either. Hangout crew, street people, ex-junkies that cleaned up too late, but didn't find out for a couple of years.

I would say it doesn't matter WHAT you think. But it does. I know a guy who's HIV positive that didn't tell anyone for years. He didn't want to deal with the exile status. His girl found out later, and that sucks to the point I wanted to smack him.

He should have told her. But we all could have made it easier.

You don't have to be afraid of people who are HIV positive. You don't have to be afraid of people with AIDS. If you could catch it from just being around them, we'd all have it.

People with AIDS aren't evil. Some have been foolish, or unknowledgeable or just lied to. But they're not evil, and AIDS is no more a punishment than the flu…and a lot harder to catch than the flu.

I don't know if there's a lot of good biochemical news about AIDS. But I do know if we all weren't so stupid, frightened or closed-minded, there could be a lot less bad news on the personal tip.

Let's hope they live long enough to get the medicine

Mon, 1 Dec 2003 05:18:38 -0500

W.H.O. Aims to Treat 3 Million for AIDS
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN

The World Health Organization called on developing countries yesterday to train and organize 100,000 health care and nonprofessional workers to carry out its plan to begin delivering antiretroviral drugs to three million AIDS patients by the end of 2005.

The organization, a United Nations agency, said 6 million of the 40 million people infected with the AIDS virus were in immediate need of antiretroviral treatment, but that only about 480,000 were receiving it.

The new program, which the organization said would cost at least $5.5 billion, is intended to reach half those in need by the end of 2005 ? two million more than would be reached by then without such a program.

In issuing a more detailed framework for its program, to coincide with World AIDS Day today, the organization also recommended four combinations of antiretroviral drugs that countries could use to start treatment. The list was vastly simplified from the 35 possible combinations the organization had recommended previously. All four combinations have been proved effective, though none include the powerful protease inhibitor drugs that are often prescribed in the United States and other wealthy countries.

A little early

Wed, 26 Nov 2003 17:00:48 -0500

Just so I don't forget, December 1, 2003 is World AIDS day.

The button in the Good Causes box on the right will take you to a British site where you can discover if you are HIV prejudiced. Of course, YOU'RE not prejudiced, right? You don't need to take the test or find out the facts about AIDS, right?

Right?

Good news II

Thu, 20 Nov 2003 17:24:33 -0500

Source: American Diabetes Association
Publication date: 2003-11-20

Buckwheat 'controls diabetes'

BBC News

November 19, 2003

A type of herb called buckwheat may be beneficial in the management of diabetes, say researchers.

Extracts of the seed lowered blood glucose levels by up to 19% when it was fed to diabetic rats.

Scientists at the University of Manitoba in Canada say diabetics should consider including the grain in their diet, or taking dietary supplements.

The study, part funded by the food industry, is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

A food that could actively reduce blood glucose levels could be a real breakthrough.