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> > > Dot's Information Service Hotline > "Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use" > Visit The DISH online at www.thedish.org > Vol. 9 No 52...Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race... 12-29-06 > ******************************************************** > > > > Table of Contents > > 1. Say It Loud!...By John Burl Smith > 2. Comments from the Bat Cave > 3. Bit of History...Francis Julius LeMoyne (1798-1879) > 4. Venue for an Artist...No Not Another Bubble Test For Me! > ...By Ronald A. Mac Arthur > 5. News You Use...Education Funding Gap > 6. Hood Notes...None Left Unpunished > 7. Disgruntled > 8. DISHing It Up Hot!...On Discipline!...By Dot > 9. Mailbox > ****************************************** > > > > Say It Loud! > By John Burl Smith > > > > "Soul is all the hard knocks, all the punishment the black man has had... > all the unfulfilled dreams that must come true." James Brown > > > > A fact of life for blacks - once they die, they become everyone's hero. > Living their lives, the world is oblivious to their plight and conspires > to crush them, even before they are seeds. Defying all odds, surmounting > great obstacles and surviving the hell fires of poverty, their > accomplishments are compared to those that faced fewer challenges with > greater opportunities and resources. Beginning so far back, blacks cannot > see the starting line for those who are half way around the track before > they reach the starting gate. James Brown was one such person. > > > > Born in Barnwell, S.C. May 3, 1933, his life began in extreme poverty. His > biographies do not mention a mother or father; some do say at 5 years old, > he was sent to live with an aunt, who ran a brothel in Augusta, Georgia. > On his own from the start, running errands, hustling, soliciting soldiers > for his aunt's establishment, living on the streets, picking cotton and > shining shoes, it is not surprising the hard-life brought James Brown > afoul of the law, like most young black men in the United State (US). > > > > Becoming the greatest showman of modern times, if not ever, did not come > easy. Brown tried boxing, then baseball, before turning to music. > Fortunately, as bad things sometimes turn out, it was in jail he found his > true calling. There, he met Bobby Byrd and joined the Gospel > Starlighters. James inspired them to change their style and become the > Famous Flames. And for me, the rest is history. > > > > Barely, a teenager, when James Brown's first hit Please, Please, Please > took the black community by storm, do-wop was the thing. It was a time of > 45 records, "sock hops" in school and smooching at house parties on > weekends. James enthralled us with Try Me, Bewildered and Lost Someone. > For us back then, if heaven was a place, Brown was the transporter. > Although we loved his music, he was still just an entertainer, that is, > until the late 1960s. > > > > Fighting against discrimination and for equality and dignity, blacks had > been searching for our identity since being kidnaped and brought to the US > as slaves. Black power lit a fire in our hearts, and James Brown "hit it > on the one," and gave us an anthem, Say it Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud. > With those lyrics, he and black power became one in our hearts. He lifted > us up at a time and in ways black leaders at the time never had. And, for > a brief period between the late 1960s until the "Good Times "of the 1980s, > black pride was in vogue. Sporting huge Afros, we were so proud, even > white folks wanted to be black. > > > > James Brown went on to make musical history on so many levels and in so > many ways. The Godfather of Soul, Soul Brother Number One, the Minister > of The New New Super Heavy Funk, Mr. Dynamite and the Hardest-Working Man > in Show Business. He had 119 singles that made the charts in the US and > recorded more than 50 albums. Every record he made from 1960-77 reached > the top 100. He won Grammys for Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (best R&B > recording1965), Living In America (best R&B vocal performance, male 1987) > and for lifetime achievement 1992. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll > Hall of Fame 1986. > > > > Everyone has a James Brown impact story, this is mine. Say it Loud, I'm > Black and I'm Proud! > > > > > > > > Comments from the Bat Cave > > > > The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro is filled with holiday good > cheer. Apparently, the gifts he received exceeded his expectations. When > queried for comments, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro enthusiastically exclaimed, > "I'm a very, very, very lucky person!" > > > > > > > > Bit of History > Francis Julius LeMoyne (1798-1879) > > > > Born in 1798, Francis LeMoyne was the only child of Dr. John J. LeMoyne. > In 1913, the family moved to their historic home in Washington County, > Pennsylvania. Francis followed his father into the practice of medicine. > He attended Washington College, where he later served as a trustee. > > > > Concerned with civic and humanitarian matters, Dr. LeMoyne became > nationally known as an abolitionist. During that period, many men > considered themselves abolitionists; most supported a "gradual end to > slavery," including Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln. Followers of > William Lloyd Garrison, the radical abolitionist, "believed in no union > with slave-holders; they declared the constitution "a league with death > and a covenant with hell," on account of its slavery compromises." > > > > In 1824, Dr. LeMoyne founded the Western Abolition Society, which began > the Underground Railroad. His family's home often hid fugitive slaves. A > long time member of the American Missionary Association, Dr. LeMoyne ran > for governor of Pennsylvania several times on the Liberty Party ticket. > At the Liberty Party's 1839 convention, James G. Birney, a former Kentucky > slaveholder, was nominated for president and Francis J. LeMoyne for > vice-president. > > > > In 1870, Dr. LeMoyne donated $20,000 to build an elementary and secondary > school for prospective teachers. He directed that the school admit "all > pupils whose conduct is orderly and whose character is creditable." > Renamed LeMoyne Normal and Commercial School in his honor, the school > originally began in 1862. Lucinda Humphrey, a nurse and American > Missionary Association member, "opened the Lincoln School for Negroes, an > elementary school for freedmen and runaway slaves to Camp Shiloh soon > after the occupation of Memphis by federal troops." Moved to Memphis in > 1863, the school was destroyed by fire in the race riots, which followed > the withdrawal of federal troops in 1866. Lincoln Chapel, as the school > was then known, was rebuilt and reopened in 1867; it was beset by > financial problems. Dr. LeMoyne's bequeath saved the school, which became > a four-year college in 1934. LeMoyne College merged with Owen College in > 1968. > > > > In addition, Dr. LeMoyne constructed the first crematory in the United > States. He was also instrumental in founding the Washington Female > Seminary. Dr. LeMoyne died in 1879. (Sources: www.washcochamber.com, > www.tnstate.edu/library/digital/lemoyne.htm and > www.loc.edu/welcome/history.htm) > > > > > > > > > Venue for an Artist > No Not Another Bubble Test For Me! > By Ronald A. Mac Arthur > > > > Not too long ago in our not so distant past, > There existed something we worshiped, > something that seemed to last, > Everyone seemed to have it, > It wasn't just for the coveted few! > People were ecstatic and teachers got their do! > > > > You see the thing we worshiped then was knowledge, > And we knew it was fleeting! > However, little did we know > that this entire process does today > appear to have disappeared or at least sleeping. > > > > Learning is a process, complicated at best. > Please! Oh please, President Bush > give those standardized tests a rest! > Learning to test, is not learning at its best! > Instead 70% of the time is not devoted to the rest! > With this process in place, we can be happy > Every 12th grade student > will have to make it snappy. > > > > You see believe it or not, > it appears that the more we test, > All we have done is turned our students into better test takers > and we have robbed them of an education. > Therefore, as you can plainly see, > all we have done with our millions of bucks > has turned a few heads > and paid for some rich guy's truck > > > > Education has suffered, students the most > Learning is not centered on learning > rather it is centered on the bubble. > > > > About Me: College lecturer and communication specialist, Ronald A. Mac > Arthur speaks five languages and does contract work with the intelligence > agencies of several countries. > > > > > > > > > News You Use > Education Funding Gap > > > > Funding Gaps 2006 is the Education Trust's (http://www2.edtrust.org) > annual report on funding gaps among districts within states. Released > last week, this year's report includes, for the first time, data and > analysis on federal Title I funds and funding choices made at the school > district level. > > > > Surprisingly, the report shows Title I funds widen rather than narrowed > the education funding gaps that separate wealthy states from poor states. > In addition, it found funding choices made at the state and local school > district levels enhance funding to schools serving higher concentrations > of affluent and white students at the expense of schools that serve > low-income and students of color. > > > > According to Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust, "The report > paints a painful picture of how funding choices made at every level > shortchange low-income students of color. And while fairer funding > systems will not alone redress all of the inequities in our education > system, getting the funding right will begin to make real our national > aspiration of a fair shot for every child" > > > > Key findings include the fact that the allocation formula for Title I > funds (a 40% adjustment factor) tends to reward wealthy states and > shortchange poorer ones. Perversely, instead of providing relatively more > help to poor children, Title I provides less. If we interchange poor with > "black," then the report shows the 3/5 Compromise is alive and well and > dictating how federal, state and local funds are allocated among black and > white people. > > > > For more on educational funding gaps and recommendation for closing them, > see http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/. > > > > > > > > > Hood Notes > None Left Unpunished > > > > Beginning July 1 through the last day of classes for the 2005-2006 school > year, the DeKalb County School System reported a total 110,901 > disciplinary incidences. The predominantly black county school system had > an enrollment of 100,556. DeKalb's 110 percent disciplinary rate should > raise alarm bells. > > > > DeKalb disciplinary offenses reported are extensive; they range from > violations of alcohol laws to trespassing. Twenty-one of the 23 > categories of offenses, including arson, battery, fighting, robbery, > theft, etc., accounted for slightly less than eighteen percent of the > total offenses (19,803). Disorderly conduct (38,058) and a category > called "Other Discipline Incident" (53,040) accounted for more than 82 > percent of total DeKalb offenses. > > > > By definition, these are categories where the most "normative" judgement > comes into play. Disorderly Conduct is defined as "Any act that > substantially disrupts the orderly conduct of a school function, > substantially disrupts the orderly learning environment, or poses a threat > to the health, safety, and/or welfare of students, staff, or others." An > "Other Discipline Incident" is "Any other discipline incident for which a > student is administered corporal punishment, in-school or out-of-school > suspension, expelled, suspended from riding the bus, assigned to an > alternative school, referred to court or juvenile system authorities, or > removed from class at the teacher's request." > > > > These are the categories under which an eight-year-old telling a classmate > he will shoot him with his non-existent BB-gun ends in an out-of- school > suspension. Rather than an opportunity to educate children about the > meaning of such words in our post 9-11 world, the honor roll student with > perfect attendance, in this case my grandson, is "suspended from school > for making a terrorist threat." > > > > Even before 9-11, the DeKalb County School System seemed to practice a > stringent disciplinary policy. Now, it has gone overboard. With its 110 > percent disciplinary rate, DeKalb practices "leave no child unpunished." > And, in so doing, this predominantly black school system exacerbates the > already negative impact this society's pattern of discrimination has on > poor and black children. > > > > > > > > Disgruntled says: My mother used to say, "If you can't say something nice, > don't open your mouth." Now that former President Gerald Ford has passed > on, there is a rush to say something nice, even to the point of making the > defining act of his political life – the pardoning of Richard Nixon – a > noble one. Mother's admonition did not mean lie to speak. Ford did not > save the country by pardoning Nixon. With thousands languishing in > prisons across this nation, Ford's pardon reinforced the founding > principle that "some are more equal than others" in our peculiar > democracy, and it preserved the fault-lines that separate the rich and > poor. > > > > Disgruntled wants to know: There was a time when blacks saw each other as > extensions of one family. In our ghettoes, the children running around > were ours to love, protect and educate. Education played an important > role in bettering conditions for the whole community. Those fortunate > enough to "make it" felt deeply obligated to give back. We seemed to have > lost that sense of community as family and the need to give back. > Moreover, those in positions to give back seem to have turned their backs, > and like any good capitalist, extend a helping hand to the less fortunate > when it entails a tax break. Where is W.E.B. DuBois' talented ten percent? > > > > Disgruntled feels: Skeptical! Recent polls show that Barack Obama has > reached "rock star" status among potential Democratic Party presidential > contenders. The media coverage he is receiving is incredibly positive. > He is amassing tremendous name recognition. Call me skeptical, but I > believe his star will fall like a rock in a deep pond, if Obama actually > entered the presidential race. And that favorable press will cease to > exist. The media will find some dirt to stifle his candidacy and mar his > public appeal. Call me skeptical, but I don't think this country is ready > for a non-white president. > > > > > > > > > DISHing It Up Hot! > On Discipline! > By Dot > > > > As a grandmother of four, I understand the importance of discipline, > particularly in an educational setting. It is difficult enough to impart > knowledge under the best of circumstances. Unruly students exacerbate the > situation. I agree that some action should be taken when students are > disruptive. > > > > Back in the day, when I was in elementary school, disruptive students wore > dunce hats, stood in the corner or took a time out in the corridor. The > really bad acts, like fighting, cursing, etc., were rewarded with several > whacks of the principal's paddle. There were few repeat offenders. > > > > In high school, disruptive behavior meant extra homework or a note to your > parents setting up a counseling session. The really bad actors received > in-school suspension. Few, if any, students were suspended from school. > It was understood that out-of-school suspensions were tantamount to > unearned vacations, rewards for bad behavior. > > > > Back then, my schools were all-black - students and faculty. Little black > boys and girls were treated like gifts from God, our hope for the future. > Now, in our "integrated" schools, where the student bodies are > predominantly black, whether the faculty and administrators are black or > white, little black children are treated like criminals. The situation > in many urban areas across this country has gotten so bad, that public > schools act as holding pens for the criminal justice system. This is > something more than mere discipline. > > > > > > > > > Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone Calls > > > > Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] "These Sunnis and Shiites have lived > in peace for thousands of years, but as soon as Americans show up with > their 'Israeli Advisors,' and 70,000 mercenaries, then Iraq turns into > hell. Today's bomb on Shiite market wasn't some Sunni farmer, janitor, > college professor, truck driver, etc., this bomb was Israeli. Picture a > rural Mississippi town of 8,000, that sits on a giant oil field, and > suddenly 500 New York Zionists show up. They elect a new sheriff, and buy > the newspaper. Mysteriously the Presbyterian Church's annual bazaar is hit > by a massive bomb, and a note is found saying the local Catholic church > did it. During Sunday services at the Catholic church, a bomb kills fifty. > Next you have the town leaders being assassinated by people 'posing' as > police. High school teachers kidnaped, and found with their throats slit > in a field. In the meantime the Zionist newspaper screams 'Religious war'. > The town's leaders are dead, and people start selling and leaving. Guess > who will be buying up the land, and bringing in the oil rigs." (Source: > http://judicial-inc.biz/fo.rty_three_dead_in_baghdad_atta.htm) > > > > Email www.alien-earth.org The prison population in Georgia is exploding > like never before. It has reached more than 53,000. The number of inmates > in Georgia has hovered in recent years in the 50,000 range, roughly 99 to > 100% of the systems capacity. Today, the system is almost 7% over > capacity. About 23,000 new inmates enter the prison system every year, > and some 18,000 are released--a net gain of about 5,000 inmates per year. > Georgia's prison system is the fifth-largest in the nation, requiring > about $1 billion a year in the state budget to operate. Several factors > have contributed to the growth in the prison system since 1996, including > stricter sentencing laws and tougher parole board policies. However, two > fairly recent phenomena helped fuel this year's spike in the prison > population. Methamphetamine use and the accompanying lawlessness packed > Georgia prisons. > > > > ********************************************* > For comments or to unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ********************************************* > > Yahoo! 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