The Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant comparisons have obviously gotten on MJ’s nerves. Michael wasn’t messing around, trying to get a rise out of the crowd. He was saying what he truly believes.. And he’s right. In their primes Michael Jordan is better than Kobe Bryant. Not even close.
Other than MJ setting the record straight the best part of the video is the kids in the background yelling for a 45-year-old Michael Jordan to dunk the ball. You can see Mike only wanted to shoot jumpers and layups, but he’s also a showman so he gave the people what they wanted.
From YouBeenBlinded.com
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Houston, We have a Problem?
The NBA is a copycat league. In the 80s, everyone got caught up in the run and gun of Showtime. The 90s, build your team around 2 superstars like Jordan/Pippen, Duncan/Robinson, Hakeem/Drexler, then fill your roster out with role players. Now, heading into the 2008 season, the 3 headed monster is the way to go. Dont get me wrong, teams still want the superstar that sells tickets, the classy superstar that doesnt cause any "image" problems, and the up-and-coming superstar that has a cult following. With the Celtics pummelling the Lakers in Game 6 of the Finals, the verdict was in: You can't win without the three headed monster. Ultimately, KG, Ray Allen, Pierce and Co. proved too much for the Lakers and Kobe. The key here it was Kobe, Gasol, and the third piece was Odom by default. Had they had the promising Bynum in the lineup, it is another ball game. So what has happened since then? Panic.
Teams are going after the new model of small ball and agile stars. The latest sucked into this fray are the Houston Rockets. The Rockets traded Bobby Jackson, a player to be named (Dontae Green), and a future 1st rounder to the Kings to rent Ron Artest. Yes, rent. Artest is in the last year of a contract that pay a modest $7.4 million. Yes, modest for a player that is arguably the Dennis Rodman of his era when its comes to defense, intensity, and plain old scary. But this experiment could over as just another Houston melee did with Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley. One and done. Beyond that, where does Ron Ron fit in the lineup? Last years starters: Alston, T-Mac, Battier, Scola, Yao. So does Ron Ron play the 4 and Houston play somewhat small ball. (Sidenote: Can't play small ball when someone on your team is 7'5.) Projected Lineup A: Alston, T-Mac, Battier, Ron Ron, Yao. Good lineup if you are playing against the East but does Ron Ron guard Amare, Boozer, David West, Pau? Dont think so. Sure he has help over the top in Yao but that is a lot to ask a player that would rather promote his rap album next summer with DJ Drama.
I hope this is just trade bait to lure an actually need to Houston. With the stars on this team turning the corners in their careers, Houston is still in the playoffs, but they are not going anywhere fast.
Why play a losing game?
Study uncovers why low-income people buy lottery tickets
Although state lotteries, on average, return just 53 cents for every dollar spent on a ticket, people continue to pour money into them — especially low-income people, who spend a larger percentage of their incomes on lottery tickets than do the wealthier segments of society. A new Carnegie Mellon University study sheds light on the reasons why low-income lottery players eagerly invest in a product that provides poor returns.
In the study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, participants who were made to feel subjectively poor bought nearly twice as many lottery tickets as a comparison group that was made to feel subjectively more affluent. The Carnegie Mellon findings point to poverty's central role in people's decisions to buy lottery tickets.
"Some poor people see playing the lottery as their best opportunity for improving their financial situations, albeit wrongly so," said the study's lead author Emily Haisley, a doctoral student in the Department of Organizational Behavior and Theory at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business. "The hope of getting out of poverty encourages people to continue to buy tickets, even though their chances of stumbling upon a life-changing windfall are nearly impossibly slim and buying lottery tickets in fact exacerbates the very poverty that purchasers are hoping to escape."
The researchers influenced participants' perceptions of their relative wealth — or lack thereof — by having them complete a survey on their opinions of the city of Pittsburgh that included an item on annual income. The group made to feel poor was asked to provide its income on a scale that began at "less than $100,000" and went upward from there in $100,000 increments, ensuring that most respondents would be in the lowest income category. The group made to feel subjectively wealthier was asked to report income on a scale that began with "less than $10,000" and increased in $10,000 increments, leading most respondents to be in a middle or upper tier.
Participants, who were recruited at Pittsburgh's Greyhound Bus terminal, were paid $5 for completing the survey and given the opportunity to buy as many as five scratch-off lottery tickets. The experimental group purchased an average of 1.27 lottery tickets, compared with 0.67 tickets bought by the members of the control group.
A second experiment reported in the paper found that indirectly reminding participants that, while different income groups face unequal outcomes in education, jobs and housing, everyone has equal chances of winning the lottery induced an increase in the number of lottery tickets purchased. The group given this reminder purchased 1.31 tickets, compared with 0.54 for the group not given such a reminder.
In the study, the researchers note that lotteries set off a vicious cycle that not only exploits low-income individuals' desires to escape poverty but also directly prevents them from improving upon their financial situations. They recommend that state lottery administrators explore strategies that balance the economic burdens faced by low-income households with the need to maintain important funding streams for state governments.
"State lotteries are popular revenue sources that are unlikely to go away anytime soon," said George Loewenstein, a study co-author and Herbert A. Simon professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon. "However, it is possible to implement measures that can actually benefit low-income lottery players and lead to fairer outcomes." Loewenstein noted that one such potential method for addressing income inequality, which has shown promise in other countries, is tying lottery tickets to savings accounts.
Although state lotteries, on average, return just 53 cents for every dollar spent on a ticket, people continue to pour money into them — especially low-income people, who spend a larger percentage of their incomes on lottery tickets than do the wealthier segments of society. A new Carnegie Mellon University study sheds light on the reasons why low-income lottery players eagerly invest in a product that provides poor returns.
In the study, published in the July issue of the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, participants who were made to feel subjectively poor bought nearly twice as many lottery tickets as a comparison group that was made to feel subjectively more affluent. The Carnegie Mellon findings point to poverty's central role in people's decisions to buy lottery tickets.
"Some poor people see playing the lottery as their best opportunity for improving their financial situations, albeit wrongly so," said the study's lead author Emily Haisley, a doctoral student in the Department of Organizational Behavior and Theory at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business. "The hope of getting out of poverty encourages people to continue to buy tickets, even though their chances of stumbling upon a life-changing windfall are nearly impossibly slim and buying lottery tickets in fact exacerbates the very poverty that purchasers are hoping to escape."
The researchers influenced participants' perceptions of their relative wealth — or lack thereof — by having them complete a survey on their opinions of the city of Pittsburgh that included an item on annual income. The group made to feel poor was asked to provide its income on a scale that began at "less than $100,000" and went upward from there in $100,000 increments, ensuring that most respondents would be in the lowest income category. The group made to feel subjectively wealthier was asked to report income on a scale that began with "less than $10,000" and increased in $10,000 increments, leading most respondents to be in a middle or upper tier.
Participants, who were recruited at Pittsburgh's Greyhound Bus terminal, were paid $5 for completing the survey and given the opportunity to buy as many as five scratch-off lottery tickets. The experimental group purchased an average of 1.27 lottery tickets, compared with 0.67 tickets bought by the members of the control group.
A second experiment reported in the paper found that indirectly reminding participants that, while different income groups face unequal outcomes in education, jobs and housing, everyone has equal chances of winning the lottery induced an increase in the number of lottery tickets purchased. The group given this reminder purchased 1.31 tickets, compared with 0.54 for the group not given such a reminder.
In the study, the researchers note that lotteries set off a vicious cycle that not only exploits low-income individuals' desires to escape poverty but also directly prevents them from improving upon their financial situations. They recommend that state lottery administrators explore strategies that balance the economic burdens faced by low-income households with the need to maintain important funding streams for state governments.
"State lotteries are popular revenue sources that are unlikely to go away anytime soon," said George Loewenstein, a study co-author and Herbert A. Simon professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon. "However, it is possible to implement measures that can actually benefit low-income lottery players and lead to fairer outcomes." Loewenstein noted that one such potential method for addressing income inequality, which has shown promise in other countries, is tying lottery tickets to savings accounts.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
U.S. AIDS policies neglect blacks
Link
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. policies and cash may be leading the fight against AIDS globally, but they have neglected the epidemic among black Americans, the Black AIDS Institute said in a report released on Tuesday.
While blacks account for one in eight people in the United States, half of all Americans infected with HIV are black, the report found.
"We are 30 percent of the new cases among gay men, 40 percent of the new cases among men in general, 60 percent of the cases among women and 70 percent of the new cases among youth," Black AIDS Institute CEO Phill Wilson told reporters in a telephone briefing.
"Yet ... the U.S. response to AIDS in black America stands in sharp contrast to the international response to the epidemic overseas," he added.
Al Sharpton, a prominent activist and founder of the National Action Network, agreed.
"U.S. policy makers seem to be much more interested in the epidemic in Botswana than the epidemic in Louisiana. This is an unnecessary and deadly choice. Both need urgent attention," Sharpton said.
Dr. Helene Gayle, former head of AIDS for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now president of the poverty-fighting charity CARE, said many HIV infected blacks are not in traditional high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers.
"The federal government's approach to the epidemic in black America is fundamentally flawed," Gayle said. This includes both a lack of funding and poor targeting of the money, she said.
EMPOWERMENT AND EDUCATION
Approaches that would work among black Americans include policies to empower women. "Black women often cannot insist on abstinence or the use of condoms for fear of violence or other emotional trauma," Gayle said.
Black American women are 23 times more likely than white women to become infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, the report found.
A lack of education works against young people, who are often powerless and in sexual relationships with older people, who can infect them, Gayle said. Wider testing for HIV among blacks is also essential, the report stressed.
And better prevention messages that use language that will reach drug users, youths and men who have sex with men are key.
"We have focused on abstinence-only (methods) even though they don't work in our community," Wilson said.
Information about condom use is important, Wilson said. "We also need to look at needle exchange," he said -- noting that although needle exchange programs work to reduce HIV transmission while doing nothing to encourage drug use, they are frowned upon by the federal government.
Education campaigns can battle myths about disease transmission, as well as conspiracy theories that cause many blacks to mistrust the medical system, Wilson said.
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, will spend $48 billion over the next five years to help treat and prevent AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in 15 targeted countries and is considered a showpiece of George W. Bush's presidency.
"More black Americans are infected with HIV than the total populations of people living with HIV in seven of the 15 countries served by PEPFAR," Wilson said.
"Were black America a separate country, it would elicit major concern and extensive assistance from the U.S. government. Instead, the national response to AIDS among black Americans has been lethargic and often neglectful."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. policies and cash may be leading the fight against AIDS globally, but they have neglected the epidemic among black Americans, the Black AIDS Institute said in a report released on Tuesday.
While blacks account for one in eight people in the United States, half of all Americans infected with HIV are black, the report found.
"We are 30 percent of the new cases among gay men, 40 percent of the new cases among men in general, 60 percent of the cases among women and 70 percent of the new cases among youth," Black AIDS Institute CEO Phill Wilson told reporters in a telephone briefing.
"Yet ... the U.S. response to AIDS in black America stands in sharp contrast to the international response to the epidemic overseas," he added.
Al Sharpton, a prominent activist and founder of the National Action Network, agreed.
"U.S. policy makers seem to be much more interested in the epidemic in Botswana than the epidemic in Louisiana. This is an unnecessary and deadly choice. Both need urgent attention," Sharpton said.
Dr. Helene Gayle, former head of AIDS for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now president of the poverty-fighting charity CARE, said many HIV infected blacks are not in traditional high-risk groups such as men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers.
"The federal government's approach to the epidemic in black America is fundamentally flawed," Gayle said. This includes both a lack of funding and poor targeting of the money, she said.
EMPOWERMENT AND EDUCATION
Approaches that would work among black Americans include policies to empower women. "Black women often cannot insist on abstinence or the use of condoms for fear of violence or other emotional trauma," Gayle said.
Black American women are 23 times more likely than white women to become infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS, the report found.
A lack of education works against young people, who are often powerless and in sexual relationships with older people, who can infect them, Gayle said. Wider testing for HIV among blacks is also essential, the report stressed.
And better prevention messages that use language that will reach drug users, youths and men who have sex with men are key.
"We have focused on abstinence-only (methods) even though they don't work in our community," Wilson said.
Information about condom use is important, Wilson said. "We also need to look at needle exchange," he said -- noting that although needle exchange programs work to reduce HIV transmission while doing nothing to encourage drug use, they are frowned upon by the federal government.
Education campaigns can battle myths about disease transmission, as well as conspiracy theories that cause many blacks to mistrust the medical system, Wilson said.
The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, will spend $48 billion over the next five years to help treat and prevent AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in 15 targeted countries and is considered a showpiece of George W. Bush's presidency.
"More black Americans are infected with HIV than the total populations of people living with HIV in seven of the 15 countries served by PEPFAR," Wilson said.
"Were black America a separate country, it would elicit major concern and extensive assistance from the U.S. government. Instead, the national response to AIDS among black Americans has been lethargic and often neglectful."
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
CNN: Black in America
On Wednesday July 23 at 9pm and Thursday July 24 at 9pm, CNN will premier a series, 'Black in America with Soledad O'Brien' and I personally
challenge you to watch it WITH your children, especially your sons, if
you have any, uninterrupted.
On Wednesday the series will focus on Women and Families and Thursday is
dedicated entirely to the plight of the Black Man in America.
http://www.cnncom/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america
challenge you to watch it WITH your children, especially your sons, if
you have any, uninterrupted.
On Wednesday the series will focus on Women and Families and Thursday is
dedicated entirely to the plight of the Black Man in America.
http://www.cnncom/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Declining Value of your College Degree
Article By GREG IP in Wall Street Journal
Highlights -
A four-year college degree, seen for generations as a ticket to a better life, is no longer enough to guarantee a steadily rising paycheck.
In the economic expansion that began in 2001 and now appears to be ending, the inflation-adjusted wages of the majority of U.S. workers didn't grow, even among those who went to college. The government's statistical snapshots show the typical weekly salary of a worker with a bachelor's degree, adjusted for inflation, didn't rise last year from 2006 and was 1.7% below the 2001 level.
College-educated workers are more plentiful, more commoditized and more subject to the downsizings that used to be the purview of blue-collar workers only. What employers want from workers nowadays is more narrow, more abstract and less easily learned in college.
To be sure, the average American with a college diploma still earns about 75% more than a worker with a high-school diploma and is less likely to be unemployed. Yet while that so-called college premium is up from 40% in 1979, it is little changed from 2001, according to data compiled by Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington think tank.
A variety of economic forces are at work here. Globalization and technology have altered the types of skills that earn workers a premium wage; in many cases, those skills aren't learned in college classrooms. And compared with previous generations, today's college graduates are far more likely to be competing against educated immigrants and educated workers employed overseas.
Highlights -
A four-year college degree, seen for generations as a ticket to a better life, is no longer enough to guarantee a steadily rising paycheck.
In the economic expansion that began in 2001 and now appears to be ending, the inflation-adjusted wages of the majority of U.S. workers didn't grow, even among those who went to college. The government's statistical snapshots show the typical weekly salary of a worker with a bachelor's degree, adjusted for inflation, didn't rise last year from 2006 and was 1.7% below the 2001 level.
College-educated workers are more plentiful, more commoditized and more subject to the downsizings that used to be the purview of blue-collar workers only. What employers want from workers nowadays is more narrow, more abstract and less easily learned in college.
To be sure, the average American with a college diploma still earns about 75% more than a worker with a high-school diploma and is less likely to be unemployed. Yet while that so-called college premium is up from 40% in 1979, it is little changed from 2001, according to data compiled by Jared Bernstein of the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington think tank.
A variety of economic forces are at work here. Globalization and technology have altered the types of skills that earn workers a premium wage; in many cases, those skills aren't learned in college classrooms. And compared with previous generations, today's college graduates are far more likely to be competing against educated immigrants and educated workers employed overseas.
Don't Eff with the IT Department
Link - A network administrator has locked up a multimillion dollar computer system for San Francisco that handles sensitive data and is refusing to give police the password, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.
The employee, 43-year-old Terry Childs, was arrested Sunday. He gave some passwords to police, which did not work, and refused to reveal the real code, the paper reported.
The new FiberWAN (Wide Area Network) handles city payroll files, jail bookings, law enforcement documents and official e-mail for San Francisco. The network is functioning but administrators have little or no access.
Childs, who remains in custody, is accused of improperly tampering with computer systems and causing a denial of service, said Kamala Harris, San Francisco's district attorney, on Monday afternoon.
"The bail has been set at $5 million, and the exposure in this case if he were convicted on all counts would be seven years in prison," Harris said.
Harris said it's unknown why Childs tampered with the system. The Chronicle, however, reported that Childs was disciplined recently for poor performance. Childs worked in the Department of Technology for San Francisco, making close to US$150,000 a year, the paper reported.
City officials told the paper that Childs may have caused millions in damage while also rigging the network so that other third parties could monitor traffic, posing a huge data security risk. He is also alleged to have installed a tracing system to monitor communications related to his personnel case.
Let me say this - this guy is the epitome of gangsta. To hold the power of the city's payroll system in his hand and say no, "I'm not giving you the password" is the bomb. Then have a tracking system let him no what is being said about his case so he could possible go back and mess with the people that were against him some more....Priceless.
The employee, 43-year-old Terry Childs, was arrested Sunday. He gave some passwords to police, which did not work, and refused to reveal the real code, the paper reported.
The new FiberWAN (Wide Area Network) handles city payroll files, jail bookings, law enforcement documents and official e-mail for San Francisco. The network is functioning but administrators have little or no access.
Childs, who remains in custody, is accused of improperly tampering with computer systems and causing a denial of service, said Kamala Harris, San Francisco's district attorney, on Monday afternoon.
"The bail has been set at $5 million, and the exposure in this case if he were convicted on all counts would be seven years in prison," Harris said.
Harris said it's unknown why Childs tampered with the system. The Chronicle, however, reported that Childs was disciplined recently for poor performance. Childs worked in the Department of Technology for San Francisco, making close to US$150,000 a year, the paper reported.
City officials told the paper that Childs may have caused millions in damage while also rigging the network so that other third parties could monitor traffic, posing a huge data security risk. He is also alleged to have installed a tracing system to monitor communications related to his personnel case.
Let me say this - this guy is the epitome of gangsta. To hold the power of the city's payroll system in his hand and say no, "I'm not giving you the password" is the bomb. Then have a tracking system let him no what is being said about his case so he could possible go back and mess with the people that were against him some more....Priceless.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Report: NFL to review tape for evidence of on-field gang signs
ESPN.com news services
The NFL has hired experts to study game footage to determine whether players are displaying street-gang hand signals as part of their on-field celebrations, the Los Angeles Times reports.
"There have been some suspected things we've seen," said Milt Ahlerich, the league's vice president of security, according to the Times' report. "When we see it, we quietly jump on it immediately, directly with the team and the player or employee involved to cease and desist. Period."
There have been some suspected things we've seen. When we see it, we quietly jump on it immediately, directly with the team and the player or employee involved to cease and desist. Period.
-- Milt Ahlerich, NFL VP of security
Gang signs in pro sports gained a higher profile during the NBA playoffs, when Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce was fined $25,000 for making "menacing gestures" toward the Atlanta Hawks' bench during a game.
"We were always suspicious that [gang-related hand signals] might be happening," said Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating, according to the report. "But the Paul Pierce thing is what brought it to light. When he was fined … that's when we said we need to take a look at it and see if we need to be aware of it."
Ahlerich said he does not believe the problem is widespread, but added that the league has spoken to some players -- whom he declined to identify -- about their use of hand signals, according to the report.
First-year players were counseled on gangs at the league's recent rookie symposium, and a video on the dangers of gangs was required viewing for every player in the NFL last year, according to the report.
But differentiating between a gang sign and something less menacing can involve some guesswork, according to at least one player.
"Guys come from all over the country, and who knows what they're really doing?" Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Dennis Northcutt said, according to the Times' report. "People have got signs for their kids, signs for their fraternities. How do you differentiate who's really throwing up gang signs?
"This is a gang sign," he added, touching his index finger to his thumb to form a squished version of the hand sign for OK. "But at the same time, it's a sign for a personnel group."
Question - So are these 'experts' on gang signs up to date on every hand signal in America? So much stuff means so much different mess in different neighborhoods, it is impossible to interpret 90% of the crap. I can make up some gang signs tomorrow and it wouldnt make sense to no one outside my "gang". Unless these athletes are blatantly yelling their "sets" out after a big hit, this is almost pointless.
The NFL has hired experts to study game footage to determine whether players are displaying street-gang hand signals as part of their on-field celebrations, the Los Angeles Times reports.
"There have been some suspected things we've seen," said Milt Ahlerich, the league's vice president of security, according to the Times' report. "When we see it, we quietly jump on it immediately, directly with the team and the player or employee involved to cease and desist. Period."
There have been some suspected things we've seen. When we see it, we quietly jump on it immediately, directly with the team and the player or employee involved to cease and desist. Period.
-- Milt Ahlerich, NFL VP of security
Gang signs in pro sports gained a higher profile during the NBA playoffs, when Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce was fined $25,000 for making "menacing gestures" toward the Atlanta Hawks' bench during a game.
"We were always suspicious that [gang-related hand signals] might be happening," said Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating, according to the report. "But the Paul Pierce thing is what brought it to light. When he was fined … that's when we said we need to take a look at it and see if we need to be aware of it."
Ahlerich said he does not believe the problem is widespread, but added that the league has spoken to some players -- whom he declined to identify -- about their use of hand signals, according to the report.
First-year players were counseled on gangs at the league's recent rookie symposium, and a video on the dangers of gangs was required viewing for every player in the NFL last year, according to the report.
But differentiating between a gang sign and something less menacing can involve some guesswork, according to at least one player.
"Guys come from all over the country, and who knows what they're really doing?" Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Dennis Northcutt said, according to the Times' report. "People have got signs for their kids, signs for their fraternities. How do you differentiate who's really throwing up gang signs?
"This is a gang sign," he added, touching his index finger to his thumb to form a squished version of the hand sign for OK. "But at the same time, it's a sign for a personnel group."
Question - So are these 'experts' on gang signs up to date on every hand signal in America? So much stuff means so much different mess in different neighborhoods, it is impossible to interpret 90% of the crap. I can make up some gang signs tomorrow and it wouldnt make sense to no one outside my "gang". Unless these athletes are blatantly yelling their "sets" out after a big hit, this is almost pointless.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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