Social Entrepeneurs

There's a semi-inspirational op-ed in today's Times by Nicholas Kristof on young social entrepreneurs making huge differences around the world. Take a look.

New Orleans Housing in Sunday's New York Times

As the parades start rolling down St. Charles, the NYT publishes a bit of a summary of the hosuing situation in New Orleans. It is incomplete by not delving deeper into the issue, but I think it provides a fair summary of the diverse and oddly developing situation here. The article's confusion over the LRA's redevelopment program is not shoddy journalism, but rather is reflective of the confusing situation the program finds itself in. Not even the highest level of administrators seems to have a clue about what they're going to do with all of the property it is buying up around the region.

It also is in a similar spirit to the latest column I wrote for the Maroon this past week about a report on recovery. Not to toot my own horn, but that can be found here. I always appreciate any feedback I can get on my columns.

The title of the NYT piece is particularly poignant: "So Many Places to Live, but so Far Out of Reach."

Jesuits elect new Superior General

On Saturday Jan 19 the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) elected a new Superior General, the leader of their order.  The new Superior General is Father Adolfo Nicolás, a Spaniard who has lived most of his life in service to the people of Japan.

It was a rare step for a Superior General to resign as the the position carries a lifetime term.

Many people in the Jesuit community are suggesting that Nicolás may be more akin to the radical former Superior General Pedro Arrupe than his more conservative predecessor Peter Hans Kolvenbach.

Its super-hard to find a photo of the new leader and I may be completely wrong, but I believe the photo below is Fr. Adolfo.


Time Magazine reports "Will the new 'black pope' work?"

Pull your pants up or you're gay

Update: article amended because I didn't do my research and made some accusations that I can't substantiate and may be completely inaccurate.  See the comments.  Deletions indicated in strikethough, additions in red.

In response to the city of Dallas' campaign to end sagging pants, a Dallas rapper named Dooney da Priest wrote and released a song called "Pull Your Pants Up." While I would normally support all efforts to end the abomination that is excessively sagging pants what I believe to be a silly looking style, Da Priest employs homophobic lyrics to discourage sagging in youth.

From the song:

You walk the streets with your pants way down low

I dunno looks to me you're on the down low.

...

I think its gay, but some of y'all think its cool

Walking around showing your behind to other dudes.

In case you don't know, "down low" is slang for person who lives a straight life but also has secret gay relations.

To discourage sagging by implying that those who wear their pants low are homosexuals plays upon the homophobia that is already prevalent and well-documented in Black communities among young men. Yesterday, Democratic hopeful Barack Obama addressed a Black congregation and spoke out against the rampant exact kind of homophobia Da Priest perpetuates as a failure in achieving Dr. MLK's goals of equality.

Thanks a lot "da Priest" for perpetuating stereotypes and expousing hate speech.

The city of Dallas plans to erect a billboard featuring da Priest and his song.

Listen to the whole song on Da Priest's myspace page.

Gov't ties college funding to cooperation with RIAA

The Electronic Fonteir Foundation reported that hidden within H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007, lies language that could withhold federal funding from colleges where "illegal" file-sharing takes place.  While the overwhelming majority of the 800 page bill will serve college students by making college cheaper, the RIAA/MPAA have clearly gotten their way by forcing colleges to prohibit file-sharing technologies from being used (even legitimately) and making universities buy in to new subscription based music services that rob users of their rights through convuluted digital rights managment (1,2) schemes.  

Nobody wants to rob the artists from they money they deserve, but clearly the RIAA is not going about this in a sensible way.

This very well might impact your years at college, so you better follow this story as it develops.

Note: the RIAA is the same industry group that claims that ripping CDs to your iPod is not fair use and is illegal.

See also:  Digital Millenium Copyright Act

How the City Sank

Here's an interesting, if old, article from the Times about the flooded infrastructure in the city. The story of the guy at the pumping station is particularly interesting.

Tear it Down

The international human-rights giant Amnesty International has launched a campaign to close the US detention facility at Guantanamo Bay (where the U.S. holds many prisoners illegally) called Tear It Down. The website brings you to a picture of detainees, and when you sign the pledge, one pixel of the photo is removed.

It takes 50,000 signatures to get rid of the photo and demonstrates how many concerned U.S. citizens want to shut down Guantanamo. I know there are tons of important online pledges you can sign, but I thought this was an interesting and powerful site, and I thought y'all might like to check it out.