D.C.’s educational battle – Books vs Boundaries

March 29, 2014 admin Leave a comment

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

The Mayoral race within the Nation’s Capitol is embroiled in some of the most captivating events. The current Mayor, Vincent Gray, has been swaying the voting tide by picking up extra support from ex-offenders. He’s also under scrutiny of a campaign scandal from his first election.

D.C. has also been in the thick of a social, and community overhaul. D.C. used to be referred to as “Chocolate City”, but a surge in city development, specialized employment, and cost of living has shifted the traditionally African American demographic to the outskirts of the city and local suburbs of Maryland. Individuals and families that have resided in D.C. for decades have been essentially , “priced out”.

A high influx of non-black citizens flush with cash and high paying jobs have replaced a significant African American demographic. Charter schools have bloomed all over the city, and now citizens are facing another social obstacle, EDUCATION. The access to equal education is at the center of debate now. The city is working on proposals that will either physically redefine the geographical boundaries on the map, and thus change school zones for the residents, or change the policy of what schools children are able to attend. Is this a form of “educational gerrymandering”?

The mayoral candidates have to address school overcrowding, under attendance, feeder patterns, and under performing schools. According to a Washington Post article, some parents are even considering relocation as an option pending the final outcomes of the education proposal. The education proposal is expected to be finalized this July.

Council Member, David Catania, is quoted as saying” I won’t support a plan that moves children from a higher-performing to a lower-performing school”. That sound’s good at first when you say it, BUT what it’s not saying is more troubling.

I have a few questions.

Why are there higher performing and lower performing schools? Will the city redistribute high performing teachers evenly throughout the city? What mechanism is in place that allows the channeling of the best teachers into a particular zone or school, while other schools are deprived? What performance improving strategies are you actively enacting to raise the performance level of lower performing schools?

A school is only as good as the teachers, budget, resources, and curriculum. D.C. is one city and the citizens pay taxes toward public education. Each student should be afforded an equal chance and opportunity to a quality education if public schools are funded by the people’s tax dollars. Why should geographical locale deny or afford two standards of education.

This is back to the issue of SEPARATE BUT EQUAL.

The teachers, money, upgrades, facilities, equipment, supplies, resources and other educational amenities should be distributed and allocated in an equitable manner to offset any disparity. Once children are within the confines of our public schools, each child should be afforded the same education regardless of their city zip code. We should exhaust all efforts to correct and standardize the aforementioned factors, because you can’t control the student’s domestic circumstance. Every child has a different domestic situation (parental involvement, income, community safety), and learning style, but identical quality education should be the constant that reduces the probability of our children falling to the wayside.

Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets Restaurant, is also a mayoral candidate. Andy Shallal said, ” I would put the whole boundary thing on hold. We need to not focus on boundaries but on fixing schools.” I like Andy’s response. Playing musical chairs with our children’s education is not cool. Fix the schools so that no matter which school a student attends, they can obtain a seamless continuum of quality education. A family should be able to move from Northeast D.C. to Southeast D.C. and receive the same quality education.

Education and Blueberry Muffins

If education was like a $3.45 freshly baked Blueberry muffin from Starbucks in Northeast, how would you feel paying the same $3.45 for a Blueberry muffin from Starbucks in Southeast, but the muffin is 4 days old and moldy? If Starbucks has true concern about its’ brand and image, they would guarantee the same quality freshness, ingredients, and customer service despite the geographical location of their stores. That’s how I see the accessibility and affordability of education.

Our children’s future should not be predicated and dictated on the basis of their current address of residence, or GPS coordinates.

What say you??

Source

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-mayoral-race-injects-uncertainty-into-school-boundary-overhaul/2014/03/28/03ab9e7e-b67a-11e3-b84e-897d3d12b816_story.html?hpid=z3

National & Local Politics, Socio-Cultural Commentary

D.C. ex-offenders sway political elections by the thousands

March 27, 2014 admin Leave a comment

D.C. ex-offenders sway political elections by the thousands

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

In Washington, D.C., ex-offenders are gradually changing the political landscape of the city. April 1^st will be the day of reckoning for the D.C. Mayoral election. The current Mayor, Vincent Gray, isn’t dismissing any potential vote. Ex-offenders represent a significant burgeoning political demographic that politicians are forced to consider in elections. The amount of eligible re-entry voters are approaching a critical mass that can sway local elections that teeter on delicate political margins.

According to an article published by the Washington Post, 1 in 10 D.C. residents are ex-offenders. A 2008 city survey reported that approximately “60,000 citizens have a criminal record”. A spokesperson from the Office of Returning Citizens Affairs gives a higher projection of 75,000 to account for the time lapse since the initial survey. Courtney Stewart is the director of The Reentry Network for Returning Citizens, and he reported that his nonprofit group registered up to 4,000 ex-offenders prior to the 2010 mayoral election. Prior to the 2008 election of President Barack Obama, an estimated 10,000 ex-offenders were registered to vote. Furthermore, 8,000 ex-offenders return to D.C. annually from federal and local prison.

Election ballots are even being delivered to correctional facilities for eligible offenders. The correctional system is specific in its terminology and characterization of offenders. There are felons, parolees, probationers, and a myriad of individuals under correctional supervision for various reasons. Despite the criminal record, Mayor Gray has made an all-out attempt to tap into this power base. He’s promised to utilize $100 million dollars of reserved funding to help ex-offenders obtain affordable housing. According to the article, D.C. has hired 534 ex-cons as bus drivers, camp directors, and bus attendants. 400 ex-offenders have gained employment with construction firms. The city has financed the training of 112 ex-offenders to obtain commercial driver’s license training. All of this has occurred under Mayor Gray’s watch.

Mayor Gray promises even more assistance if re-elected. He has reported that he wants to provide the necessary assistance with jobs and housing to reduce the chances of recidivism.

I think that this is an important political issue. Close to 2 dozen states have become more lenient and less stringent with the restoration of voting rights for ex-offenders. When people commit crime and serve the time, they should be allowed the right to participate in the voting process and have a say in the laws that affect them. We must also think about the number cases nationwide where innocent people have been exonerated by DNA, evidence tampering, witness intimidation, and plain mistaken identity. Should these individuals be denied the right to vote because the criminal justice system failed them? Furthermore, it would be hypocritical to deny this right when we profess to be a forgiving and accepting country. This demographic may prove to be the political wildcard that upsets the plans of many highly conservative think-tanks.

What are your thoughts?

Source

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/in-dc-mayors-race-embattled-gray-may-have-a-secret-weapon-in-growing-ex-prisoner-vote/2014/03/22/9a5834e4-aac3-11e3-adbc-888c8010c799_story.html

National & Local Politics, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Contemporary gun control concerns: Part 2

March 26, 2014 admin Leave a comment

The ignored gun control conversation: Part 2

(Click here to read Part 1 of this discussion)

by: Dr. Samori Swygert

We are not addressing the real issue when it comes to gun control legislation. We are failing to conduct a thorough root-cause analysis of American violence. Why are so many people growing frustrated, and choosing to lash out in acts of MASS VIOLENCE on innocent citizens? That is the proper and appropriate question.

Many believe that disarming citizens is the answer, but this is far from the truth. There’s a myriad of methods that sick sinister individuals may exact their vengeance on innocent American citizens. Let’s examine this quickly: 1) A man got frustrated in California and plowed his car through a crowd of people at a Venice Beach festivity — he mowed down scores of party goers and killed some of them. 2) We’re familiar with Ted Kaczynski who was sending off mail explosives. 3) We saw Timothy McVeigh conduct the Oklahoma City Bombing. 4) What about the Olympic Park and Boston Marathon bombings? 5) We had the one sicko that was mailing poison to state officials. 6) There was a knife attack at a daycare. 7) A Georgetown University student was recently caught for making the deadly chemical Ricin in his dorm. 8) Do you remember the Sarin gas attack in the Chinese subway station? [Note: I haven’t even mentioned arson, and food poisonings.]

So with that said, are they going to ban cars, gasoline, knives, envelopes, etc.?

Furthermore, how are we going to defend ourselves against a home invasion with a seven shot gun clip? The legislators that make these laws act like they have successfully fended off each and every home invasion personally with seven bullets. When home invasions occur, it typically involves multiple intruders that are sufficiently armed. Seven shots won’t cut it, and this is why cops don’t carry a seven shot gun clip. I mean you don’t need a bazooka but let’s be sensible.

Let’s keep it real

What is the game plan to account for guns that are already in circulation, unregistered, and buried in the woods, compounds, Neo-Nazi camps, and secret arsenals? Have you seen the arsenal of these DOOMSDAY PREPPERS, gun enthusiasts, and militias? Will the government conduct door to door household reconnaissance with search and seizure intentions? I can understand that regulation is a step toward reduction of gun violence, but what about law-abiding citizens that legally purchase their firearms, use them responsibly, and store them safely? Should the average law abiding gun owner have to forfeit their fire arms and constitutional right to defend themselves?

We really need in depth discussions on coping skills, conflict resolution, effective communication, respect, love and let’s not forget the biggie, POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT. Individuals are less prone to rob, steal, and kill someone for their belongings when they have the purchasing power and ability to purchase their own; and when they don’t have the ever-present mental stress of poverty, deprivation, and a “survive or die” mind state.

We are not addressing the violent movies, video games, and TV shows that give many people a step by step instruction manual and demonstration on how to plan attacks and shooting to kill.

However, legislators are willing to take away our rights to adequately defend ourselves, but say nothing to the TV and Hollywood moguls that pervert the idea of gun ownership. They introduce some of the most violent content into the psyche of our youth.

Talking loud and ain’t saying nothing

Moreover, if legislators are not going to be physically present at my house at 3am during a home invasion to provide immediate, real time security and demonstrate their seven shot marksmanship, I don’t want them limiting the options to defend myself and my family. However, I doubt Diane Feinstein, Al Sharpton, Michael Bloomberg, and other anti-gun legislators will provide personal backup and patrol on your front porch and backdoor when it all goes down.

There also needs to be gun control on these cops having firing squads on citizens like Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, and handcuffed men shooting themselves in the back of squad cars.

What say you???

Read Part 1 of this discussion here

Socio-Cultural Commentary

A Historical argument about gun control : Part 1

March 26, 2014 admin Leave a comment

A Historical argument about gun control : Part 1

by: Dr. Samori Swygert

This first installment of a two-part blog will address the historical concerns and implications of guns and what gun legislators routinely dodge.

The gun control debate is a persistent item on the American socio-political agenda. Politicians, activists, lobbyists, and American communities have very legitimate arguments for gun control. Time after time we hear about neighborhoods plagued by gang violence, drug wars, and mass shootings in schools and other social establishments. However, anti-gun advocates tend to miss, overlook, or intentionally disregard alternative perspectives on the issue.

Current proposals

A myriad of gun control proposals are currently being examined. Some want an all-out gun ban. Some want a ban on automatic rifles. Several states want reduced gun magazine capacity. Some advocates push for extensive background checks, and others want mental health screenings. Some states have proposed extended waiting periods before firearm purchases are granted. Some states limit the amount of guns that can be purchased within a certain period of time. Future technologic advances propose biometric activation of firearms in order to fire a gun.

Historically Speaking

Historically speaking, guns have always been the deciding factor in the establishment of history since it was invented. The gun is one of many Pandora boxes on Earth. Since its’ inception, it allowed civilizations to manipulate the course of history by exerting dominance over others by instant deadly force. The following are just a few examples:

How successful would Hitler have been if all Jewish families had equivalent or superior weaponry to his regime, or guns at all? The Jewish and other European groups were systematically disarmed, and left defenseless against Hitler’s tyrannical authoritarian regime.

How successful would the system of slavery in America have been if each African brought to the North American continent was equipped with the same or better firepower of the slave traders and plantation owners?

Let’s even examine the Civil War because we are constantly bombarded with unprovable statements that American citizens have nothing to fear from the government: Within our own country, we had war between the North and South. Cousins were literally fighting their own cousins and family in battle. Why? Let’s make it simple without getting bogged down in historical facts — there was a difference in belief between citizens, and both sides were committed to their ideology and prepared to fight for it. The ability to arm and defend themselves prevented one from easily overpowering the other.

However, the contrast to the Civil War is that the American military utilized the threat of firepower to usurp the land of Native Americans. In 1829, President Andrew Jackson called for the INDIAN REMOVAL ACT. This resulted in the forced, militarized mass exodus of Native Americans off their land, LITERALLY AT GUNPOINT. Yes, lack of adequate, equivalent firepower makes a difference between life and death, slave or free.

We also saw how Cecil Rhodes ( yes the Rhodes scholarship is named after him), went into Africa with the MAXIM GUN THAT FIRES 600 ROUNDS PER MINUTE, and this led to the slaughter of thousands of Africans in the Matabele War of Rhodesia (yes named after him for colonizing). Thanks to Cecil Rhodes and the MAXIM GUN, the exploitation of diamonds occurred and Cecil Rhodes formed Debeer’s Diamonds. Rhodesia is now known as Zimbabwe.

We can also see how the gun was used by King Leopold II of Belgium to take control of the Congo, and exploit the land for its ivory, rubber, diamonds, and other precious resources. It is estimated that 10 million African NATIVES were slaughtered during his invasion and reign.

Stay tuned for part 2

Health and Fitness, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Medicine in the Matrix- the future of healthcare: Part 1 (the Red Pill)

March 26, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Medicine in the Matrix- the future of healthcare: Part 1 (the Red Pill)

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

The future of medicine will undergo a revolutionary transformation. I purchased a copy of U.S. News & World Report 2014 January-May edition. I also read a captivating article in the Wall Street Journal: How digital medicine will soon save your life, by Robin Cook and Eric Topol. When I finished reading this article and magazine expose, I said to myself “welcome to the Medicine Matrix”.

First, the goals in future medical practice are centered on everyone having a fully sequenced genome. This means that your full DNA is completely mapped out, and analyzed. This will reveal any and all genetic defects, or variances in certain genes. This will supposedly allow for more precise dosing of drugs, and more specific drug selection. Drug selection is important because some individuals have enzymes in their liver that breakdown drugs faster in some people, but slower in others. This can lead to toxicity or ineffective treatments. Furthermore, some individuals may produce more or less receptors for drugs to bind to, and that affects overall therapy.

Secondly, the main focus of these two pieces of literature is prevention. Prominent researchers, institutions, and biotech companies have collaborated expertise to create an anticipatory and prevention based arsenal of therapies. For instance, if an individual has their genome sequenced, and carries the gene that codes for Cystic Fibrosis, the CFTR gene, a drug designed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals will target that specific mutation and alter it. Some patients that take the drug Abacavir to manage HIV, but maybe predisposed to a fatal drug reaction. Thus, a genetic test would be conducted to see if Abacavir is appropriate for this patient before administration. Lastly, cancer patients can see what drugs will and won’t work based on the gene mutation they may possess. This will allow physicians to tailor and streamline drug regimens.

Let’s talk technology

Everybody’s cellphone will become their medical watchdog. The tech industry and medical community have created apps and programs that will be installed on your smartphone. Individuals will have nanobots dispersed into their bloodstream that will conduct internal surveillance of EVERYTHING inside your body. A nanobot is a small digital device that is 10^-9in size (like a millimeter is 10^-3), this is extremely small. However, these nanobots will detect your body’s: pH, blood count, signs of infection, temperature, glucose levels, drug levels, serum protein, HCG hormone (detect pregnancy), testosterone and estrogen levels, change in blood chemistry before a heart attack, pre-cancerous signals, microorganisms, and more. All of this data will be transmitted to your doctor and your phone.

In addition to the nanobots in your bloodstream, our smartphones will be able to read your ECG and tell your physician if a heart attack is impending. The nanobot-smartphone alliance will also serve as a sentinel to monitor patients that have been recently discharged from the hospital or clinic and cut length of stay, while still allowing physicians to monitor their progress.

The FDA has approved a “smart watch” called, Visi. The watch measures breathing rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and the electrical conductivity of your heart.

Telepresence will be another medical biggie. A motorized physician avatar will be suited with GPS, monitors, microphones, speakers, and sensors. This high tech apparatus will have travel around the hospital from unit to unit, and room to room, but here’s the catch, a real-time screen with the physician is attached. Physicians can check on their patients from a remote location like their home, or while on a trip. A high definition, high resolution camera will allow doctors to zoom in and out for surface exams. The doctor can conduct real-time conversations and interviews with patients and staff. The robot avatars can also consult with other doctor avatars, so you may see 2-5 robots “huddling” as they think about care plans for a patient. The telepresence aspect has also been touted as an advantage for underserved or rural areas that lack adequate physician access.

The abundance and ever burgeoning amount of medical data can be overwhelming to many practitioners. I can vouch for that as a critical care hospital pharmacist. Every other month new drugs are hitting the market, and you must learn these drugs, or at least understand the use, dosing, side effects, and contraindications. This also applies to physicians because they have to prescribe the drugs, understand the diseases and conditions patients have.

Well IBM developed, “Watson”, yes the computer that humans played against in jeopardy. This will be integrated in healthcare systems around the country. Volumes upon volumes of research, textbooks, guidelines, case studies, and etc will be installed in this device to help healthcare practitioners arrive at faster, accurate, and more well informed decisions. Technology experts predict that by 2020, Watson will contain the equivalent of 500 billion four-drawer file cabinets worth of medical information.

Dr. Showme Da Money

Lastly, to finish off this part, I have included direct excerpts from the U.S. News and World Report expose. We must discuss financial and economic aspect of this digitized upgrade. Healthcare is big business. This past January the Federal Communications Commission reported that it has allocated $400 million annually for creating broadband networks to facilitate communication between rural areas and “urban medical hubs”. BCC research has predicted a doubling of the telehealth market from $11.6 billion to $27.3 billion in 2016.

AT&T has invested $1 million in funding to help develop the telehealth market. The NIH estimates the cost of sequencing a person’s genome at approximately $5,700, so multiply that by the number of individuals that are to receive medical care and all the babies to be born! President Obama proposed $100 million for brain research. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York already invested $3 million for their genomic supercomputer. There is much more to discuss but far too lengthy for a blog post.

Stay tuned for part 2 as we go more in depth to this digital medical revolution.

Source

1. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303973704579351080028045594

2. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/hospital-of-tomorrow/articles/2013/11/05/telemedicine-vast-potential-increased-efficiency

3. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/hospital-of-tomorrow/articles/2013/11/05/the-push-to-personalize-medicine

Global Issues, Socio-Cultural Commentary

18 Questions Every American Should be Asking In Lieu of the Missing Plane

March 23, 2014 admin Leave a comment

The Malaysian deception- what’s not being said

by: Samori Swygert

By now, everyone should be fully abreast of the circumstance surrounding the missing Malaysian airplane. The news is obsessed with this airplane, and it has been sensationalized like the OJ Simpson trial. There is no question that people should have a spirit of humanity and empathy for the people who have loved ones on this aircraft that has gone off the grid.

However, I’ve learned that whenever this type of media coverage blankets the airwaves, it’s imperative to start examining what’s not being covered in the news. Slight of hand tactics, diversions and distractions are always set in place to slide controversial issues under the radar.

What should the average American be doing right now?

Carefully look at global and domestic trends. Apply a shrewd eye and keen analysis on forgotten matters. These are the type of questions you should be asking yourself now:

1) Was Syria ever truly resolved?

2) What is the Federal Reserve currently doing?

3) What is China doing?

4) What’s the status of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement?

5) What are the stock market trends, mergers, acquisitions, sell-offs?

6) What is the United Nations doing at this time?

7) What’s the latest news on North Korea and Iran?

8) What is truly at the root of Russia and Ukraine?

9) What legislation is being voted on, passed, or blocked in congress?

10) What is happening with your state pension plan?

11) What decisions are on the Supreme Court’s plate that deserve scrutiny and attention?

12) Who are the candidates that are getting groomed for the next election, and who are their supporters, allegiance, and who hosts their Super PAC?

13) What is really going on with the Keystone Pipeline, and will the president approve it? Who has set themselves up to benefit from the Keystone Pipeline?

14) Why isn’t there anymore noise about the banks in Cyprus? What’s going on with the European Union and the world currencies?

15) Has your state’s voting eligibility requirements changed at all?

16) What educational policies have changed in your child’s school district that may affect their graduation, examinations, placement, and etc.?

17) What’s going on with your social security?

18) What will be the final call on longterm unemployment insurance?

It’s important that we look at both hands at this point in time. Nothing new has really surfaced, they haven’t found the plane, but everything about the plane is “breaking news.” That term is being abused. The only thing that would be remarkable at this point is if they found the plane, people, or debunked a conspiracy. However, this is primetime and all these “specialists” and “experts” are getting their paychecks for television appearances. The news is airing nothing but speculation.

Just like a good broadway play, the action lies behind the curtains.

You can also find this at: http://www.kulturekritic.com/2014/03/news/18-questions-every-american-should-be-asking-in-lieu-of-the-missing-plane/

Environmental, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Energy Company Dumps 61M Gallons of Tοxins In Drinking Water

March 23, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Reported by: Dr. Samori Swygert

A few days ago, Your Black World published an article I wrote about the environmental crisis involving Duke Energy (the nation’s largest electricity plant) in North Carolina. The article detailed how 82,000 tons of “coal ash” had spilled into the Dan River in North Carolina. The components of coal ash contain lead, arsenic, and mercury.

Well, a very important update to the story was aired last night on MSNBC during the Rachel Maddow show.

Maddow revealed that the company has pumped 61 MILLION GALLONS of contamination from the spill into a tributary that feeds directly into the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. The problem is that the Cape Fear River supplies drinking water for parts of North Carolina.

Duke Energy tried to downplay what they were doing by telling the state Division of Water Resources that they were just conducting “routine maintenance.” However, a watchdog group (The Waterkeeper Alliance) conducted an aerial surveillance that revealed the illegal and hazardous pumping into the tributary.

According to the LA Times, “Regulators said they were taking water samples at sites on the Cape Fear River, which runs through Fayetteville on its way to the coast near Wilmington, North Carolina”. The pumping of the contaminants took place in Central North Carolina.

The company has been cited by the state agency and stands to face fines of $25,000 a day for each violation. However, the article in the LA Times noted that the director of the state agency that is regulating the spill …………was a Duke Energy employee for 28 years. This may represent a conflict of interest. I won’t go further into speculation without proof, but this doesn’t smell right.

Source: LA Times

This is why I posted the original article because everything got so quiet about the story. How do you remain quiet about 82,000 tons of this tοxic waste? I cringe at the thought of what could have been the ultimate result had it not have been for the bold, courageous, and inquisitive nature of this watchdog group to fly over the contamination site and reveal their findings.

These companies are playing with our lives, and there’s nothing funny, humorous, or comical about this at all. This demonstrates that their only concern is the dollar. They have no morals, virtues, standards, ethics or regard for humanity and the environment we live in. They should be brought up on charges. What could have been the long term implications of this? If this had proceeded unchecked, we could have seen unexplainable rates of birth defects, neurocognitive abnormalities, cancers, and an assortment of other physiological effects on us, our babies, and wildlife.

Keep in mind that Duke was warned about this by the EPA in 2009.

Does this bother you, or are you concerned about Kim Kardashian and “Housewives of Atlanta”? What are your thoughts?

You can also find this at: http://www.yourblackworld.net/2014/03/black-news/dr-swyger-energy-company-dumps-61m-gallons-of-t%CE%BFxins-in-drinking-water/

Education, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Howard University Mock Trial Team heads to championship tournament

March 23, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Howard University Mock Trial Team heads to championship tournament

by: Dr. Samori Swygert

Howard University and other HBCUs have been receiving a lot of bad press in the news over the last year. We’ve heard about issues of enrollment, problems with student loans, budget and finance issues. Well we should also bring out the good and the excellence that is being produced simultaneously.

I’m very proud of my Alma Mater, and I felt great joy to visit the university website this week and saw that their Mock Trial Team has made it to the championship tournament. They will compete against Princeton, Penn State, George Washington, Rutgers, American University, and the University of Maryland.

The competition takes place on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23 at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse (333 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001). The team is led by a faculty advisor, Angela Minor, Esq. The University of Virginia will be the hosting school.

They will act as five prosecuting attorneys and four leading witnesses, according to the university’s website. The proposed case argument will be positioned around a person committing an armed rοbbery that resulted in an involuntary manslαughter.

The team is composed of the following members: seniors Jamsion Harris and Aliayah Baaith; juniors Mercedes Parker, Jeryd Wilder andD’Sean Williams-Brown; and sophomores Edward Harding, III, Gavin Reagins, Nicholas Taylor, and Sha’huni Robinson.

Let’s wish them luck, and once again, I’m very proud. GO BISON!!!!! Hopefully we’ll put that Wiley College, Great Debaters whipping on them.

You can also find this article at: http://www.yourblackworld.net/2014/03/black-news/howard-univ-competes-with-ivy-league-institutions-for-mock-trial-championship

Business & Financial News, Socio-Cultural Commentary

The Koch Brothers Own 2M Acres of Land, Slated to Make $100 Billion

March 23, 2014 admin Leave a comment

The Koch Brothers: 2 million acres and $100 Billion Dollars

by: Dr. Samori Swygert

I had a chance to read an article in theHuffington Post this week, and it really blew me away. Many of us are aware of the debate over the Keystone Pipeline. The oil industry, corporate America, and other entities are drooling over the possibility and projections of the construction of the Keystone Pipeline.

The pipeline would start at the Tar Sands of Alberta, Canada and stretch down the middle of America and into the gulf for refinement. The Huffington Post based their article on a report from the International Forum of Globalization.

The report and the Huffington Post said that the Koch Brothers have the potential to make $100 Billion dollars if the Keystone Pipeline gets approved. How will they achieve this? First, the Tar Sands in which the unrefined oil source resides are located in Alberta, Canada. Secondly, the Koch Brothers own a WHOPPING 2 MILLION ACRES of land in Alberta, Canada. Thirdly, Koch Industries will facilitate a substantial amount of the construction, oil development, and collect money from oil derivatives.

This is major. Their money is very long, strong and so is their lobbying power. Furthermore, the report noted that they’ve already spent $50 million dollars to think-tank groups to help promote the approval of the deal.

I’m speculating that this will go through because of the amount of money involved and all the potential investors that will benefit and gain from its approval. There is a big lesson to be learned here: It is very important that we (African-Americans) pool our money and buy more land. Earth doesn’t grow land, its dimensions are finite and exact. Once all the land is owned, that’s it!

Instead of spending so much on clothes, jewelry, cars, lavish restaurants and vacations, we could redirect our finances to much more worthy causes of the future. The Koch brothers have exploratory agencies that survey, sample, and inspect various land for what resources will be crucial, and then capitalize on that. I don’t see why we can’t.

What are your thoughts on this?

You can also follow this article at: http://www.yourblackworld.net/2014/03/black-news/the-koch-brothers-own-2m-acres-of-land-slated-to-make-100-billion/

Health and Fitness, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Harvard Study details cognitive risks of flouride in water

March 12, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Harvard Study details cognitive risks of fluoride in water

by: Doc Swagg

Routinely, I’m fascinated with the amount of pollutants and toxics that inundate our food and water supply. Each week it seems like new statistics on cancer and other conditions emerge within the news media. 2012 Harvard University published their findings on the effects of fluoride in drinking water.

Please check this out and share with your friends and family.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/fluoride-childrens-health-grandjean-choi/