Teens Continue to Hit Home Runs

Given the rash of recent right-wing whining about the Obama Administration’s proposed federal expenditures, it is astounding to note that Congress has committed more than $1.5 billion to abstinence-only-until-marriage programs since 1996. Meanwhile, zero dollars have gone to comprehensive sex education.

It is abundantly clear that abstinence-only programs fail. And by fail, I mean that these programs have failed to meet their own stated objective: to delay the onset of sexual activity (see Guttmacher Institute Report on Abstinence-Only Education and More Soldiers for the Lord). Moreover, teens who received comprehensive sex education were 50 percent less likely to become pregnant than teens who were in abstinence-only programs (see UW Researchers Say Comprehensive Sex Ed Cuts Teen Pregnancies and Bristol Palin).

Generally speaking, I am against any federally mandated programs that attempt to “parent” children. I strongly prefer local control, if not individual autonomy. I recognize that the residents of San Francisco may have different sensibilities than the residents of Wasilla, Alaska. Having said that, if Congress is going to continue to dedicate cash to teaching American children what not to do with their respective genitalia, it seems logical to broaden the curriculum a bit.

The Responsible Education About Life (REAL) Act is a step in the right direction (detailed information here: REAL Act). The REAL Act will fund programs that do all of the following:
1) Continue to stress the value of abstinence and teach that it is the only certain way to avoid pregnancy or STDs;
2) Provide medically accurate information about the health benefits and side effects of contraceptives;
3) Encourage family communication about sexuality;
4) Teach skills for making responsible decisions about sex, including how to avoid unwanted verbal, physical, and sexual advances and how not to make unwanted verbal, physical, and sexual advances; and
5) Teach that alcohol and drug use can affect the ability to make responsible decisions—much to the chagrin of teenage boys everywhere.

Significantly, the REAL Act is a broad set of guidelines for those wishing to receive federal funding. The specific curriculum and the age at which it’s taught will be determined by the local community.

Peter Rothberg, of The Nation (whose post Get Real on Sex Ed brought the REAL Act to my attention), sums it up quite well: The REAL Act is a necessary antidote to counterproductive abstinence-only-until-marriage programs that spread misinformation, marginalize gay and lesbian youth and reinforce gender stereotypes. The idea is that these programs will supply young people with the tools to make informed decisions, resist peer pressure, set goals, manage stress, be responsible, understand and accept diversity, build healthy relationships and have access to up-to-date information about how they can protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS.

AIG Executives: Travel in Pairs

Today, a bus protest tour is visiting the homes of AIG executives in the normally serene community of Fairfield, Connecticut (New York Daily News). Home of AIG executive James Haas, in Fairfield, Conn.

Earlier in the week, AIG issued a corporate security memorandum (Gawker) advising its cash-flush employees on how to avoid falling prey to roving mobs of populist vigilantes looking to extract a prison-style post-bonus tax (click on image to enlarge):

I came up with a far more straightforward and effective memo:
Attention AIG Executives – Voluntarily give back your bonuses.

Videos of the Week

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
The New White Face of Crime
comedycentral.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Important Things w/ Demetri Martin Political Humor

Seppuku at AIG

Quote of the Day:

"The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better towards them if they’d follow the Japanese model and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say I’m sorry, and then either do one of two things — resign, or go commit suicide."
-Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), on the AIG executives who are receiving $165 million in bonuses even though their company just reported the largest quarterly corporate loss in American history ($62 billion for fourth quarter 2008) and has to date received more that $170 billion in federal bailout funds.

Top Ten Worst Places to Buy Real Estate

All excerpts from Real Clear World: World's Most Dangerous Cities

10) London - For the past several years, the city has been increasingly plagued by knife-related crime and violence…despite disputed statistics, even conservative estimates show knife-related violence in London occurring at a rate of every 52 minutes.

9) Saskatoon - Saskatoon earned such infamy by placing first in aggravated assault and robbery, fourth in homicide and sexual assault, 20th in breaking and entering, and 21st in vehicle theft among Canadian cities.

8) Norilsk - How does Norilsk, a city of 134,000 on Russia's far-flung frozen tundra, make our list? Well, this is how Time magazine described it: Norilsk was founded in 1935 as a Siberian slave labor camp, and life there has pretty much gone downhill since. Norilsk is home to the world's largest heavy metal smelting complex, with little or no regulartory oversight. Polluted water and air make life expectancy in this city around just 40 years. Within 30 miles of the city, there is not a single living tree.

7) Johannesburg - In South Africa, one of the ongoing topics of discussion is which of the country's two major cities - Johannesburg and Cape Town - is the more likely to get your car hijacked or your wallet taken. While crime has ebbed and flowed throughout all of South Africa in recent years, the city of Johannesburg has earned a special distinction for theft, robbery and violence.

6) Rio de Janeiro - Plagued by violent gun crime, assassinations and drug-trafficking, nearly 50,000 people have died of crime-related violence in Rio between 1978 and 2000.

5) Detroit - The dysfunction starts from the top. Kwame Kilpatrick, after a 7-year stint as Detroit mayor that was plagued by all sorts of allegations of impropriety, just served 99 days in prison for obstruction of justice. The current president of the city council, Monica Conyers, is noted for her thuggish behavior and is also currently under FBI investigation for bribery. A separate FBI probe into city hall corruption is also ongoing. Detroit's violent crime rate nearly triples the national average.

4) Caracas - Since [Hugo Chavez’s] election in 1998, the homicide rate in Caracas has more than doubled, earning the city the 2008 award for 'Murder Capital of the World' by Foreign Policy.

3) Linfen - A number of Chinese cities could've made this list for the same reason - pollution - but Linfen takes the cake because it has the dirtiest air in the entire world…a result of being one of China's largest coal mining hubs.

2) Ciudad Juarez - The city of 1.5 million has already experienced 1,800 murders since January and is the epicenter of a violent battle between rival drug cartels, smugglers, kidnappers and criminals. Among the city’s grim statistics, over 400 women have fallen prey to “sexual homicide” since 1999. Dismembered bodies and large “common graves” stuffed with corpses have inspired the CIA and Pentagon to begin contingency planning for a “failed state” on America’s southern border.

1) Mogadishu - The capital of Somalia is nearly synonymous with chaos and violence…Just yesterday, 11 people were killed in a clash between Islamist groups. Over a million of the city’s residents have reportedly been displaced, with tens of thousands fleeing the "city of death" altogether.

Oh Stewardess, I Speak Jive

Some highlights from the Politico article: Blacks, Whites Hear Obama Differently

“Black English, especially the cadence, is becoming America’s youth lingua franca, especially since the mainstreaming of hip-hop. Its sound conveys warmth, authenticity and a touch of seductive danger.” [-John McWhorter]

Beyond speech, blacks have picked up certain of Obama’s mannerisms, particularly his walk, that signal authenticity. Bush had his cowboy strut, and Obama has a swagger — a rhythmic lope that says cool and confident and undeniably black. It was most noticeable on his first post-election trip to the White House, some said.

“The swagger was out of control, dragging the left foot, it was like, ‘Barack, you have got to calm down,’” said Melissa Harris-Lacewell, a Princeton University professor who teaches courses in politics and black studies. “The swagger thing just got worse and worse during the campaign ... I am sure David Axelrod told him to stop swaggering.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has used phrases recently like “bling bling” to describe the stimulus package and “off the hook” to describe the new RNC outreach plans, at a time when he is trying to step up the party’s appeal to African-American voters.

After reading this article I have several questions:

1) Where can I pickup a “Black English” Dictionary? I'd like to learn a few catch phrases so that I can verbally convey “warmth” along with “seductive danger.”

2) At what point during the campaign did Obama’s swagger reach the optimum level of blackness? I want to be sure I review videos of Barack walking from the correct time period so that I can mimic him to attract potential African-American friends as I stroll through urban areas. I’ve got to be careful because apparently, when one’s “rhythmic lope” becomes too exaggerated there is a backlash.

3) Does a video exist of David Axelrod cautioning Obama to pull back his swagger? I can almost hear Axelrod’s coaching: “Whoa, Barry. They’re not gonna like all that lateral movement in Western Pennsylvania. Here, try to copy me; I’m really white.”

4) Can you imagine if during the campaign John McCain had, like Michael Steele, peppered his speeches with alleged black catch phrases to try to appeal to African-American voters? “Booya, my friends!”

5) Why did/does Barack Obama (according to Politico) have to use speech and physicality to “signal” that he is authentically black? I mean, didn’t both Clintons tell us he was black at least a couple dozen times during the election?