Getting ready for my trip to Africa!!!Y'all aint ready...
Fight The Power,
NARO%
Friday, March 31, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Parting Shots...Travel notes #7
On the road again, one last look before departing.
Lacation: Hawaii Hilton Village
"I get around"
Naro%
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
More on standards...
A quick take on standards; try to envision the context of meanings both implied and “not”. Try to realize how the standard is crafted (by who and to what extent) and implemented (the effects and repercussions), restructure your thought and attempt to look past the programming (don’t get lost in translation) .
With this in mind we take a look at some
rather well known “Standards” …
Standard Oil-John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust is one of the most famous industrial organizations ever. The Trust controlled a lion's share of the production, transport, refining, and marketing of petroleum products in the United States and many other countries. Originally, this was an attempt to make money on the home lighting market which was converting from whale oil to kerosene. The emergence of the automobile and its thirst for the formerly near worthless refining by-product called gasoline brought dizzying wealth to this industrial group.
Standard Aptitude Test (SAT) - over 2 million teens take this test every year. Since the SAT was first introduced in 1926, it has evolved to remain aligned with classroom practices. Institutions requiring the new SAT include public and private colleges, large and small institutions, and technical and liberal arts schools. Still, it is important to note that the College Board believes the SAT is only one of many criteria that colleges should use in making admissions decisions.
Standard Deduction - Most taxpayers have a choice of either taking a standard deduction or itemizing their deductions. The standard deduction is a dollar amount that reduces the amount of income on which you are taxed. It is a benefit that eliminates the need for many taxpayers to itemize actual deductions, such as medical expenses, charitable contributions, and taxes, on Schedule A of Form 1040. The standard deduction is higher for taxpayers who are 65 or older or blind. If you have a choice, you can use the method that gives you the lower tax.
Standard Language-A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a particular variety of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. It is said to be the most "correct" language of a nation. Usually, but not always, based on the tongue of a capital city, a standard language is defined by the selection of certain regional and class markers, and the rejection of others. Some of the features that identify a standard language include:
• A recognized dictionary or group of dictionaries which embody a standardized spelling and vocabulary;
• A recognized grammar which records the forms, rules and structures of the language, and which commends some forms and castigates others;
• A standard system of pronunciation, which is considered "educated" or "proper" speech by the speakers, and which is considered free from regional marking;
• The use of the language in public life, such as in the work of courts and legislatures;
• The teaching of the language's standards of grammar and spelling in schools;
The creation of a standard language represents the triumph of a certain variety of linguistic prescription; its selection means that the speech of areas with features that vary from the standard so upheld are devalued or "deprecated."
Standard of living - The financial health of a population, as measured by the quantity of consumption by the members of that population. The measure most frequently used to estimate standard of living is gross national income per capita. One drawback to the standard of living measurement is that it does not take into account some factors which are important but hard to quantify, such as crime rate or environmental impact.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - More efficient transactions in the domestic and global marketplace depend increasingly on our ability to promote the effective development and use of standards—and “standards” is NIST’s middle name. For example, U.S. access to global markets frequently is affected by standards being set by other countries and international organizations. The application of these seemingly arcane standards and related testing requirements may make or break entire industries—and determine the fate of many American workers. NIST is helping U.S. companies, workers, and consumers to get a fair deal by working to ensure that standards are used to create a level playing field—and not a barrier to trade—in the global marketplace. All U.S. companies are in an intense global competition. By offering organizations guidelines for achieving new levels of excellence in performance, NIST plays a vital role in a national movement that inspires customer service, management leadership, and employee involvement and satisfaction. This helps companies, schools, hospitals, and other organizations to meet demands for superior quality products and services. The documented result: more competitive organizations and more—and better—jobs for Americans. NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
“Working to ensure that standards are used to create a level playing field”
NARO%
With this in mind we take a look at some
rather well known “Standards” …
Standard Oil-John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust is one of the most famous industrial organizations ever. The Trust controlled a lion's share of the production, transport, refining, and marketing of petroleum products in the United States and many other countries. Originally, this was an attempt to make money on the home lighting market which was converting from whale oil to kerosene. The emergence of the automobile and its thirst for the formerly near worthless refining by-product called gasoline brought dizzying wealth to this industrial group.
Standard Aptitude Test (SAT) - over 2 million teens take this test every year. Since the SAT was first introduced in 1926, it has evolved to remain aligned with classroom practices. Institutions requiring the new SAT include public and private colleges, large and small institutions, and technical and liberal arts schools. Still, it is important to note that the College Board believes the SAT is only one of many criteria that colleges should use in making admissions decisions.
Standard Deduction - Most taxpayers have a choice of either taking a standard deduction or itemizing their deductions. The standard deduction is a dollar amount that reduces the amount of income on which you are taxed. It is a benefit that eliminates the need for many taxpayers to itemize actual deductions, such as medical expenses, charitable contributions, and taxes, on Schedule A of Form 1040. The standard deduction is higher for taxpayers who are 65 or older or blind. If you have a choice, you can use the method that gives you the lower tax.
Standard Language-A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a particular variety of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. It is said to be the most "correct" language of a nation. Usually, but not always, based on the tongue of a capital city, a standard language is defined by the selection of certain regional and class markers, and the rejection of others. Some of the features that identify a standard language include:
• A recognized dictionary or group of dictionaries which embody a standardized spelling and vocabulary;
• A recognized grammar which records the forms, rules and structures of the language, and which commends some forms and castigates others;
• A standard system of pronunciation, which is considered "educated" or "proper" speech by the speakers, and which is considered free from regional marking;
• The use of the language in public life, such as in the work of courts and legislatures;
• The teaching of the language's standards of grammar and spelling in schools;
The creation of a standard language represents the triumph of a certain variety of linguistic prescription; its selection means that the speech of areas with features that vary from the standard so upheld are devalued or "deprecated."
Standard of living - The financial health of a population, as measured by the quantity of consumption by the members of that population. The measure most frequently used to estimate standard of living is gross national income per capita. One drawback to the standard of living measurement is that it does not take into account some factors which are important but hard to quantify, such as crime rate or environmental impact.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - More efficient transactions in the domestic and global marketplace depend increasingly on our ability to promote the effective development and use of standards—and “standards” is NIST’s middle name. For example, U.S. access to global markets frequently is affected by standards being set by other countries and international organizations. The application of these seemingly arcane standards and related testing requirements may make or break entire industries—and determine the fate of many American workers. NIST is helping U.S. companies, workers, and consumers to get a fair deal by working to ensure that standards are used to create a level playing field—and not a barrier to trade—in the global marketplace. All U.S. companies are in an intense global competition. By offering organizations guidelines for achieving new levels of excellence in performance, NIST plays a vital role in a national movement that inspires customer service, management leadership, and employee involvement and satisfaction. This helps companies, schools, hospitals, and other organizations to meet demands for superior quality products and services. The documented result: more competitive organizations and more—and better—jobs for Americans. NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
“Working to ensure that standards are used to create a level playing field”
NARO%
Thursday, March 09, 2006
The Standard
I was thinking about how it is that we measure ourselves, (a loose interpretation of collective black social quantification) what we look at as a culture and say “ok that’s how it should be done” and then move in that direction. This isn’t to say that we don’t have our own goals and aspirations, but historically what it is we aspire to has been established by white people (people of European descent/can be classified as white, etc.). Our pecuniary taste, our social norms, work ethic, all revolve around a standard (propagated through the mass media extra nice move) which reinforces what it is we all accept as “common”. The “standard” is what we all know as socially as being credible, and when I say socially I mean socially, its the difference between a Golden Globe and an Oscar, everyone knows the latter is the standard, emplaced by the standard, to quantify and further maintain the impression of the standard. The standard is the method of comparison for/against things people often describe as “Ghetto” or whatever description of the day is appropriate for the situation. It is this (the comparison to our particular focus group based on the standard) that we are confronted with on a daily basis, these micro level impressions on our cultural capital which continually both consciously and sub reinforce the standard upon us.
What the standard is: A socially accepted condition or form of thought that is manifested socially and expressed culturally among all people to establish a certain order of things. It is this certain order of things that has been the catalyst for the socio-technical development of Eurocentric thought and its propagation through out the world. While my half-assed attempt at a definition of the standard may come off as a “blanket white supremacy” rant the actual intent is to focus on the things which have become so common place in our society that we take them no questions asked, regardless of their face value. Before I go any further I would like to send a big shout out to BLACKADEMIC her blog hit some mental notes that I had filed away on attempts at practicing diversity. The standard is at face value Eurocentric thought, practice, and values, exposed upon all non European (non white people).
Social acceptance
Our first and most probable reason for aspiring to the standard is social acceptance. The more we aspire/display our ability to assimilate/attain the standard, the more “we” feel the “right” to acceptance by those who have emplaced the standard. We meaning anyone who is not of the standard, and right by the fact of “due process” or meeting the quals socially/culturally of the standard (yes I am leaving out the race portion, saving that for the book). It is this inherent desire to “act right” (act white?) “talk right” (talk white?) or what ever of form or fashion of cultural interaction that is deemed appropriate by the standard. In other words the standard is maintained by white people (an important element of racial identity/supremacy) and white people only. Words like “western”, “modern society”, “mainstream” are all a direct translation of the standard, and deviations are referred to as “Diverse”, “Minority”, “Ghetto”, “Inner City”, “at risk youth”, “Third World”, or “Developing Nations” (all code words for nigger). What we fail to realize or take at “face value” is that by the continual usage/assimilation of such terms by those who “meet the criteria” for such a categorization only lends itself to the standard.
Transcending the plane
So how is it that we step outside of construct, move above an beyond the architecture that has been so intricately established so as to become visible/non-visible (a social tactic and tool) in all aspects of people interaction and thought. First we must identify the “Prima Facie Evidence” ( I couldn’t resist). The most out right and common tools/architecture the we cannot deny:
English- Language the most common element of the standard. All of your communication is based on a language created by Europeans. So from the first day of school you are learning in essence to talk white.
Math- Why is it that we are all taught “Roman Numerals” at a very young age? Any one progressive enough to start teaching “Chinese Numerals”, with the current geo-political landscape it seems to be a pretty relevant question.
Sport- Isn’t an “Athlete” one who participated in the public games in Greece and Rome? This is a double dose of the standard, not only do you get the Eurocentric title you get the added bonus of knowing that most of the “participants” were slaves or people captured on various campaigns etc. Which leads to many interesting correlations in “our” society today centered around “Professional Sports”. The standard creates entertainment based on the notion of the spectacle. The spectacle is a space with its own dynamic effectively managed by the standard. So with this you can (or cannot see) where I am going with this whole analogy, I mean for every rationalization that I get about the conditions and situations of our people, there are several things that cannot be explained away by some slick ass comment. Like the effects of the standard upon our education system, and the utterly ridiculous comments that I have heard from some of our own. Now I have mentioned this before but when you are ridiculed for learning (possessing knowledge or the ability to articulate with a lil bit o form) and labeled as acting white, has the standard superceded its own intent by causing those which may yearn for acceptance to actually resent those who possess the ability to transcend some of the quantifiable aspects presented like reading, writing and speech? Or is this just a sick and perverted bonus to the whole system, which in the end will not provide the playing field that is dangled like the carrot in front of the horse. And why is that you ask, because the standard was never about class, it has and will always be about race, and we all know who comes in first. The gold medal winner for the last couple millennia hands down no questions asked…
TO BE CONTINUED.
"This aint no after school special"
NARO%
What the standard is: A socially accepted condition or form of thought that is manifested socially and expressed culturally among all people to establish a certain order of things. It is this certain order of things that has been the catalyst for the socio-technical development of Eurocentric thought and its propagation through out the world. While my half-assed attempt at a definition of the standard may come off as a “blanket white supremacy” rant the actual intent is to focus on the things which have become so common place in our society that we take them no questions asked, regardless of their face value. Before I go any further I would like to send a big shout out to BLACKADEMIC her blog hit some mental notes that I had filed away on attempts at practicing diversity. The standard is at face value Eurocentric thought, practice, and values, exposed upon all non European (non white people).
Social acceptance
Our first and most probable reason for aspiring to the standard is social acceptance. The more we aspire/display our ability to assimilate/attain the standard, the more “we” feel the “right” to acceptance by those who have emplaced the standard. We meaning anyone who is not of the standard, and right by the fact of “due process” or meeting the quals socially/culturally of the standard (yes I am leaving out the race portion, saving that for the book). It is this inherent desire to “act right” (act white?) “talk right” (talk white?) or what ever of form or fashion of cultural interaction that is deemed appropriate by the standard. In other words the standard is maintained by white people (an important element of racial identity/supremacy) and white people only. Words like “western”, “modern society”, “mainstream” are all a direct translation of the standard, and deviations are referred to as “Diverse”, “Minority”, “Ghetto”, “Inner City”, “at risk youth”, “Third World”, or “Developing Nations” (all code words for nigger). What we fail to realize or take at “face value” is that by the continual usage/assimilation of such terms by those who “meet the criteria” for such a categorization only lends itself to the standard.
Transcending the plane
So how is it that we step outside of construct, move above an beyond the architecture that has been so intricately established so as to become visible/non-visible (a social tactic and tool) in all aspects of people interaction and thought. First we must identify the “Prima Facie Evidence” ( I couldn’t resist). The most out right and common tools/architecture the we cannot deny:
English- Language the most common element of the standard. All of your communication is based on a language created by Europeans. So from the first day of school you are learning in essence to talk white.
Math- Why is it that we are all taught “Roman Numerals” at a very young age? Any one progressive enough to start teaching “Chinese Numerals”, with the current geo-political landscape it seems to be a pretty relevant question.
Sport- Isn’t an “Athlete” one who participated in the public games in Greece and Rome? This is a double dose of the standard, not only do you get the Eurocentric title you get the added bonus of knowing that most of the “participants” were slaves or people captured on various campaigns etc. Which leads to many interesting correlations in “our” society today centered around “Professional Sports”. The standard creates entertainment based on the notion of the spectacle. The spectacle is a space with its own dynamic effectively managed by the standard. So with this you can (or cannot see) where I am going with this whole analogy, I mean for every rationalization that I get about the conditions and situations of our people, there are several things that cannot be explained away by some slick ass comment. Like the effects of the standard upon our education system, and the utterly ridiculous comments that I have heard from some of our own. Now I have mentioned this before but when you are ridiculed for learning (possessing knowledge or the ability to articulate with a lil bit o form) and labeled as acting white, has the standard superceded its own intent by causing those which may yearn for acceptance to actually resent those who possess the ability to transcend some of the quantifiable aspects presented like reading, writing and speech? Or is this just a sick and perverted bonus to the whole system, which in the end will not provide the playing field that is dangled like the carrot in front of the horse. And why is that you ask, because the standard was never about class, it has and will always be about race, and we all know who comes in first. The gold medal winner for the last couple millennia hands down no questions asked…
TO BE CONTINUED.
"This aint no after school special"
NARO%
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Travel Notes: Part 6
Shots from my voyage. You know I wanted to do the whole "Play by Play" of the trip but I decided against that, so I could better examine the world around me. From the North to the South so many things were poppin so I just went National Geograhpic Ghetto Gold style.
This is for all of you who have never:
Been to the Nations Capital
Seen the Pentagon from an airplane
Had lunch in a five star hotel
Rode the Metro
Been to Mardi Gras and walked down Burbon street
Seen a Super Computer (the real Matrix)
Rode on a River Barge
Seen the only War Memorial in a National Park Dedicated to Soldiers of African descent
Touched a piece of history (USS Cairo)
Flew on a tiny ass air plane where you felt every damn bump in the air (twice)
Rode on the Longest escalator ever created
Drank an Apple Martini while peeping musical greats past and present
Read the Sky Mall catalogue where they sell some of the most unecessary stuff in the world! (sonic dog stopper)
Seen the funniest wet floor sign ever! (at least it was to me)
Played Black Jack on a River Boat
Seen halls and monuments erected in ancient fashion
Had the chance to witness a southern sunset as jets cris-cross the sky
Been to the Nations Capital
Seen the Pentagon from an airplane
Had lunch in a five star hotel
Rode the Metro
Been to Mardi Gras and walked down Burbon street
Seen a Super Computer (the real Matrix)
Rode on a River Barge
Seen the only War Memorial in a National Park Dedicated to Soldiers of African descent
Touched a piece of history (USS Cairo)
Flew on a tiny ass air plane where you felt every damn bump in the air (twice)
Rode on the Longest escalator ever created
Drank an Apple Martini while peeping musical greats past and present
Read the Sky Mall catalogue where they sell some of the most unecessary stuff in the world! (sonic dog stopper)
Seen the funniest wet floor sign ever! (at least it was to me)
Played Black Jack on a River Boat
Seen halls and monuments erected in ancient fashion
Had the chance to witness a southern sunset as jets cris-cross the sky
Two weeks from the Blue to the Gray. Just in the back groud checking the world around me around you. Enjoy the shots.
You need to git up, git out and git somethin
Don't let the days of your life pass by
You need to git up, git out and git somethin
Don't spend all your time tryin to get high
You need git up, git out and git somethin
How will you make it if you never even try
You need to git up, git out and git somethin
Cuz you and I got to do for you and I
OUTKAST GIT UP, GET OUT
PEACE
NARO%
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