by Rupe | Aug 29, 2011 | Mad Musings, philosophy-religion, Reflections
One of the most noteworthy movies of the summer is “The Help.†Set in Jackson, Miss., in the early 1960s, it focuses on the relationships between white upper-middle-class women and the black domestics who took care of them and their children. Although many reviews of the film were quite positive, numerous critics, including some African-American commentators, have lashed out against it, arguing that the film does not deserve the accolades it has received.
Cultures function and persist by consensus. In Jackson and other bastions of the Jim Crow South, the pervasive notion, among poor whites and rich, that blacks were unworthy of full citizenship was as unquestioned as the sanctity of church on Sunday. “The Help†tells a compelling and gripping story, but it fails to tell that one.
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Source: New York Times
My Comments:
This is an awesome piece by Prof. of African American studies, Patricia Turner, a vice provost at University of California, Davis.
I have not seen “The Help” but I do intend to. I have a somewhat unique perspective on race and racism that I hope to write about in the near future as time allows. I do agree with Prof Turners insights, they are close to mine.
by Rupe | Aug 28, 2011 | Funny Schnick!, Mad Musings
Cell phones and water don’t mix. People know this, but the tragedy plays out regularly in a variety of scenarios. It could be a slip into the toilet, a tumble in the washing machine, an overly excited leap into the pool, or a beer-based lack of judgment.
It’s sometimes possible to save the electronic lifeline you’ll pay $500 to replace, but step one is avoiding panic, because there are several “fixes†that might make sense in the moment, but could do more harm than good. In the video below, Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson – who admits to dunking his own iPhone – talks about what you can try to restore your soaked electronics. Read on for more.
Source: Money Talks (https://s.tt/137sl)
by Rupe | Aug 28, 2011 | Mad Musings, Money Matters
Click for larger graphic
The Government is on a desperate search to put as many shekels as it can in it’s coffer. Is raising taxes on the rich the answer?
Most people don’t think so. AP conducted a poll to find out what the best solution was for the deficit problem. 62% think the government should cut spending. Only 20% think the solution is tax hikes. Also, in a recent Investor Business Daily poll, 92% of Americans think it’s important to cut government spending. If we want to put something away for our future or start saving money for a house, we have to make changes to our spending.  Shouldn’t the government do the same?  Many of think they should.
But “we†might be wrong. Maybe “we†just don’t understand. Let’s take a look at the numbers to determine what the best course of action might be.
Continue reading by clicking source link below…
Source: WealthPilgrim
My Comments:
Another conflicting topic for me. Â 50% of the population pays almost 100% of the taxes seems somewhat unfair, but there are many ways to cut this cookie, and while I have quite a bit to say on that, I won’t go into it here. Â I think the government isn’t particularly doing a good job with the cash it takes from us, and while a large percent of taxes the overall taxes collected comes from the top 1%, believe, they are barely feeling it; as all indicators show that the gulf between the rich and poor is growing ever wider.
by Rupe | Aug 19, 2011 | Mad Musings
Everything you wanted to know about bug sex (but didn’t bother to ask) is explained in a new book by insect expert Marlene Zuk. Sex on Six Legs: Lessons on Life, Love and Language from the Insect World, describes a world of small — but surprisingly sophisticated — insect behavior.
Insects are not mindless robots; they can learn just like other animals, says Zuk, a biologist at University of California, Riverside. “An ant who finds a food source will come back to recruit others to go to the same food source,” she tells Fresh Air‘s Dave Davies. The ant that knows where to go will show the others what to do. “It looks like a parent teaching a child how to ride a bicycle. … They steer the other individual and will actually wait for them to catch up and make sure they’re going in the right direction.”
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My Comments:
No, it is not a slow news day, nor do I think this is weird.  I ran across this article from National Public Radio (NPR) that I thought was quite thoughtful. It had me thinking how much time we spend in academia studying things like “bugs buggin’ out”. Any way, I found it quite interesting, don’t think I care that much to buy the book, but would read it if I ran across it at the library.Â
Source: NPR
by Rupe | Aug 17, 2011 | Mad Musings
More than 8 million Americans were the victims of identity theft last year, according to a recent study by Javelin Strategy & Research. But protecting yourself doesn’t have to be complicated. “Common sense combined with a high-quality cross-cut paper shredder goes a long way,” says Lt. Col. Gregory Conti, director of West Point’s Cyber Security Research Center. Here are seven practical tips to help you guard your information and stop identity theft.
1. Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
If you are tricked into clicking on a phishing email or otherwise leave an unprotected computer open to attack, criminals will try to download malicious software, or malware, that will track your keystrokes and use your computer as an identity-theft tool. “If your hard drive is running all the time, you probably have malware on your PC,” says Tom Shaw, vice president of fraud and anti-money laundering at USAA.
Continue reading by clicking source link below…
My Comments:
Pretty good advice  on ID Theft from USAA.  Â
Source: USAAÂ
by Rupe | Aug 3, 2011 | Mad Musings, what the...?
Click image to make readable
Today’s New York Times devotes two-thirds of its front page above the fold to a horrific picture in color of a malnourished Somali child in a Mogadishu hospital. It caps a detailed and thoughtful report by Jeffrey Gettleman titled “Somalis Waste Away as Insurgents Block Escape from Famine.†The New York Times‘ lead story continued to be the U.S. debt-ceiling crisis and the House vote yesterday to raise the debt ceiling. But the Somalia story visually dominates the paper today. Now that the debt ceiling drama is winding down, I suspect U.S. public attention, rightfully prodded by humanitarian agencies, will focus on the famine.
And, in effect, Al Shabab bears the most responsibility for the famine. The terrorist group continues to block Western aid workers during a drought that has displaced close to two million people, or a quarter of Somalia’s entire population. A few years ago, Shabab dismantled a child vaccination campaign, claiming it was a Western plot; that program could have saved many children who have since succumbed to measles. Gettleman also reports that Shabab is preventing starving people from fleeing the areas that it controls.
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