Teacher reprimanded after correctly using the word "niggardly"
Fourth-grade teacher Stephanie Bell used the word "niggardly " -- it means stingy or miserly -- during a discussion about literary characters. A parent later protested, saying it was offensive the word sounds like the racial slur. The principal sided with the parent and reprimanded Bell for using poor judgment and lacking sensitivity to the school's diverse population. (Wilmington Star) Via [Obscure Store]

I've read that the origin of the word is probably from the ancient Norwegian word "hnoggr" or the old English word "hneaw" . Related is also the german word "genau". It's origin has absolutely nothing to do with the word "nigger". But I suppose that a gay person may also be offended if, in planning a bonfire for some civic event, a straight person suggested "pilling a few faggots on the fire" to get it going? ( Faggot means small wooden stick and, of course, gay person)

The Ten Biggest Problems Facing African-Americans Today
By Lee McGrath

Frontpage magazine has this article

A top ten list, ranked in order of despair caused. Sort of one-sided I think, but food for thought and a good read nonetheless.

Native New Yorkers (The Original Kind)

James Estrin/The New York Times

The city with the largest American Indian population, according to the 2000 Census, is not Phoenix. Not Los Angeles. It is New York City.

The news is a surprise even to some Indians living in the city. "You're kidding, right?" said Rosemary Richmond, the director of the American Indian Community House in Manhattan.

The census counted 41,289 American Indians and Alaska natives living in the city in 2000. [Link]

It was not to be

Andrew Cuomo yesterday moved to salvage his political career in New York by dropping out of the race for governor and throwing his support behind State Comptroller H. Carl McCall . Smart move. His campaign was disaster from the start. He's only 44, better days are ahead of him, plus, his support of the democratic party will not be forgotten.

ALBANY -- Andrew Cuomo returned to the center of New York politics a year and a half ago a gilded candidate, full of hype and hope, an idealistic achiever who had wrestled a federal bureaucracy into shape and was going to rattle the status quo and agitate for change.

The son of the former governor had cachet: a star of the Clinton cabinet and married to a Kennedy, he boasted of money and muscle to oust popular Republican George Pataki. [Link]

The latest craze in body modification

A little botox for frown lines? A nip and tuck around the eyes?
How about some surgically inserted padding for that flat posterior?

The latest weapon in the plastic surgeon's arsenal against our perceived imperfections is the butt implant. That's right - a little extra gluteus maximus for those who think their tuchis is a bit on the minimus side.

I wonder if J-lo is one of their consultants.

Terror hunt may end privacy at the library

The Miami Herald has this story by Daniel De Vise

"It is called the USA Patriot Act , and the very name implies duty -- duty, in this case, to tell FBI agents what certain people are reading and writing at the local library.

Federal investigators want to strip away the cloak of anonymity that helped Sept. 11 suspects communicate on public library computers without detection. A provision buried within the 342-page Patriot Act, which took effect in October, allows agents to demand records from librarians and booksellers with unprecedented ease.

Many in the library community fear an intrusion by Big Brother into the sacrosanct privacy rights of library patrons. The Patriot Act trumps laws in 48 states, including Florida, that specifically protect library records as confidential.

Under the Patriot Act, the FBI can make its case in a special ''spy court'' -- a secret, closed proceeding -- and needs only to convince a judge that the patron in question may be linked to a known terrorist or terror plot. Once contacted by agents, a librarian can't tell anyone about the records request.

''Our rights have been taken away. We're being forced to go against our professional ethics,'' said Judith Krug, director of the American Library Association's office for intellectual freedom. ``But the only way to overcome this is to act illegally. It's awful.''

While it's unfortunate, this not entirely unexpected considering what our society has to contend with post 9/11. But as I stated in yesterday's Technology and Privacy post, what serves can also destroy without increased public awareness and appropriate public policies.

Happy Labor Day

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and
importance and should be undertaken with painstaking
excellence."
Martin Luther King Jr.


Labor Day, has been an official holiday in the United States and Canada since 1894.

Peter J. McGuire, one of the founders of the American Federation of Labor, is considered to be the "Father of Labor Day." At a meeting of the New York Central Labor Union, he proposed that a day be set aside for an annual picnic and demonstration of worker
solidarity.

That first Labor Day was celebrated in New York on September 5, 1882. It was an idea whose time had come Before very long, there was a major social movement to make Labor Day a regular occurrence. Legislators in both the United States and Canada felt the heat. It became a national holiday soon thereafter.

Technology and privacy

In the foreword to David Burham’s book The Rise of the Computer State Walter Cronkite wrote:

"… Our privacy is being invaded, and more and more of the experiences which should be solely our own are finding their way into electronic files that the curious can scrutinize at the punch of a button"

I agree that the amount of personal information collected is increasing. New technologies have the potential to reveal the unseen, unknown, forgotten or withheld. And, may also raise a variety of troubling issues including injustice, intrusion, denial of due process, absence of informed consent, deception, manipulation, errors, harassment, misuse of property and lessened autonomy.

One response to privacy concerns often expressed by some industry spokespersons and many citizens is simply, "So what? Why worry?" These technologies fill deeply felt needs believing also that we are an open society and visibility in government brings accountability. The United States Supreme court has said in its famous Katz decision that privacy was only protected when it could be reasonably expected

Others argue that given the free market, you can also buy technologies to protect yourself from privacy invasion. The only people who worry about privacy are those who have something to hide. Sure those are valid points but I also think that while functioning in a dynamic society we need to have the ability to control information about ourselves. this confidentiality is vital to trust, dignity and self respect.

This is not to say that unlimited privacy is good. Surely too much privacy can shield irresponsible behavior -- protecting child and spouse abusers, unsafe drivers etc. But without appropriate limitations it can trigger backlash. The private subversion of public life carries dangers as well as the public intrusion into private life.

Technology's unique power is also its tragic flaw. What serves can also destroy, without increased public awareness and appropriate public policies.

Reality Check

VH1 Turns Booing for Hillary Clinton into Cheering
"Senator Clinton was booed when she walked on stage last October at a rock concert in Madison Square Garden to benefit 9/11 victims. It was shown live by VH1 but, as ABC's John Stossel illustrated in a July 20/20 special on media distortions, when the Viacom-owned cable channel replayed it sound technicians replaced the booing with cheering and applause. And that version is the permanent record VH1 put onto its DVD of the event."

MTV VMAs:

Some funny analysis of the MTV video music awards by bloggers Que Sera Sera, and Jim Treacher