Celebrate 30

Coolest Man Alive by Cowan Amaye-Obu (2013)

For some reason, Youtube, won't allow the release of my non-profit personal video featuring lovely family & friend photos. Posting a link to the Coolest Man Alive video, is going to lead to another post, in which I will ask the effects of why Corporate America funded scholarships for law students to study Intellectual Property? Enjoy!

The Coolest Man Alive by Cowan Amaye-Obu (2013)

Say No, to the 'No-Zero Grading Policy!"

As a former Orange County Public School (OCPS) teacher, corrupt educational practices consciously reduced my passion and pushed me out of the teaching profession. One major issue, which I found alarmingly destructive was often disguised as productive and  “good for the students,the No-Zero Grading Policy.

Grades not only reflect how well a student is performing, but determine how effective a teacher and to a greater extent, a school is. The No Zero Policy, is a school-wide grading policy where students no longer receive grades lower than 50%. For example, a student who completes 30% of their work, and is due a 30% in the marking period, would be manually given a 50% at report card time. While a student, who receives a 55% or 65%, does not receive any special additional points or waivers of grade performance. In the short term, this policy helps students performing poorly, improve their grades through make up assignments at a drastically faster pace. In the long run, this policy produces a fictitious school-wide reflection of how well a student body is scholastically performing. Eventually, this leads to lower tests scores on Standardize tests and even a substandard curriculum which is used to constantly adjust to the abilities of the students.

In Orange County Public Schools, the biggest racket is the grading policy. Schools who institute the No Zero Policy are routinely graded and compared to schools who do not institute the No Zero Policy. Thus, giving an fictitious air of superiority to schools with A grades, and consequences to schools with D or F grades, most likely not instituting the No Zero Grading Policy. However, studies show, these school do not perform any better on State Standardized Tests. The difference is the willingness of school officials to cave into pressure from State and District Officials, who pressure the Principals, who in turn force teachers to turn in their grades with nothing less than a 50% or be reprimanded.

As a Senior Intern in 2008, I sat in a Teacher faculty meeting where the Principal handed down this new policy. And I never imagined that the “No Zero Policy” would spread from that middle school cafeteria to each of the five different schools that I taught. The policy remains fraudulent, an enabler of poor performance in students, and the primary reason, meeting education standards will continue to dwindle in the state of Florida.

Say No, to the “No-Zero Policy.”

Written by Mr. Cowan Amaye-Obu former Howard Middle School Teacher, OCPS Charter School Teacher

http://nepc.colorado.edu/files/TTR-MET-Rothstein.pdf

On Democracy in the 21st Century, As It Applies to the African Diaspora

 

                                                             US Continental Congress 1775
 It is important to understand, the term democracy has lost all of its meaning in the face of the post modern blind allegiance to capitalism, crushing racial politics, which has affected the governance of racial policies within the system, bloodshed & imprisonment, and the silent indentured servitude of millions to their retirement, where the beacons of wisdom are shipped off to be modestly cared for and abandoned. This does not give off the breath of democracy. Instead, it is a monolithic system of rule by the few. When free elections go to the highest bidder ( Citizens United V. Federal Election Commission), the vote unfortunately has been purchased. Even if, we are led to believe that our international governing bodies of law & trade (United Nations, World Bank, etc, etc.) give us hope, then consider the ability of powerful nations to veto action which clearly is the will of the people in certain regions. The existence of Multinational Corporations pursuing agendas and collective biases sway historical results behind the scenes. Even the ability of the United Nations Security Council to overthrow legitimate governments and arm unveted rebels against their government is far from the democratic ideal and more in tuned with a global order. This is a rule by interest alone. Unfortunately, it is the smoke screen of religion, nationalist democratic idealism, and an unwavering tide of corporate capitalism coupled with the lack of knowledge of contemporary history, and widespread hedonistic nihilism, which allows the continual colonization and indentured servitude of the African diaspora.

The Black Census 2013

                                               Historical Estimate of the Atlantic Slave Trade

How Many Black People live in the Americas (North, South, Central & Caribbean) today?

       Using the CIA's World Factbook, I have created a list of countries and documented the number of Blacks listed in their respective censuses as of July 2013. There are many issues that I encountered in this endeavor including:
1. Many of the islands of the Caribbean are still European colonial possessions.
2. In many island nations there is little information on race in the population, especially in French territories.
3. Islands in the Caribbean are subject to major disasters like Earthquakes and/or Volcano eruptions.
4. The transition from agriculture to industrial, then service cultures has had an declining affect on employment and other means of living. It has also lead to the increase in the service industry for many islands seeking to lure tourist dollars.
5. Environmentalists are concerned that the Caribbean islands' plant & native animal species are threatened by the land development, deforestation, livestock grazing, harvesting of firewood, lack of land development regulation, and the introduction of foreign animal species (feral cats, rabbit etc.).
6. The first town established by Blacks is called Palenque de San Basilio, founded by escaped slaves under Benkos Bioho in the 16th Century.
7. Among Blacks in South America, there are various native American groups, who still thrive regardless of crushing policies including enslavement.
8. Census records of Blacks are sometimes actively dismissed in South America, such as, Argentina and Chile.

The Count

Country                               Total Population                 Total Black Population

1. United States       316,668,567 (July 2013) 40,691,910 or 12.85%

2. Haiti 9,893,934 (July 2013) 9,399,237 or 95%

3. Brazil 201,009,622 (July 2013) 12,462,597 or 6.2%

4. Cuba 11,061,886 (“) 1,117,250 or 10.1% 2002 est

5. Mexico 116,220,947 (7/2013) Not reported/ 5% estimate

6. Canada 34,568,211 (7/2013) 864,205 or 2.5%

7. Jamaica 2,909,714 (7/2013) 2,653,659 or 91.2%

8. Guatemala 14,373,472 (7/2013) Inconclusive

9. Belize 334,297 (7/2013) 83,239 or 24.9%

10. Honduras 8,448,465 (“) 168,969 or 2%

11. Nicaragua 5,788,531 520,968 or 9%

12. Costa Rica 4,695,942 140,878

13. Panama 3,559,408 498,317 or 14%

14. Dominican Republic 10,219,630 (7/2013) 1,124,159 or 11%

15. Puerto Rico 3,674,204 257,195 or 7%

16. Virgin Islands (UK) 31,912 (7/2013) 26,168 or 82%

17. Virgin Islands (US) 104,737 79,810 or 76.2%

18. Anguilla 15,754 (7/2013) 14,194 or 90.1%

19. Antigua & Barbuda 90,156 (7/2013) 82,042 or 91%   

743,669,394 70,184,797

The Count

20. Guadeloupe (Fr) 403,274 (2011 Worldstat) Not reported

21. Dominica 73,286 (7/2013) 63,612 or 86.8%

22. St. Kitts & Nevis 51,134 (7/2013) Inconclusive/Predominant Black

23. Montserrat (UK) 5,189 (“) 4,587 or 88%

24. Martinique (Fr) 398,733 (1/2013- ined.fr) Inconclusive/ Not reported

25. St. Lucia 162,781 (7/2013) 134,294 or 82.5%

26. St. Vincent & the Grenadines 103,220 (7/2013) 68,125 or 66%

27. Grenada 109,590 (7/2013) 89,864 or 82%

28. Trinidad & Tobago 1,225,225 (7/2013) 459,459 or 37.5%

29. Barbados 288,725 268,514 or 93%

30. Aruba (Dutch) 109,153 (“) Inconclusive/ Not reported

31. Curacao (Dutch) 146,836 (“) 119,231 or 81.2%

32. Cayman Islands 53,737 (“) 10,747 or 20%

33. Turks & Caicos Islands (UK) 47,754 (7/2013) 41,832 or 87.6%

34. Bermuda 69,467 (7/2013) 37,373 or 53.8%

35. El Salvador 6,108,590 (“) Inconclusive/ Not reported

36. Sint Maarten (Netherlands) 39,689 Not reported

37. Saint Martin 31,264 Not reported

38. Saba 1,971 Not reported

39. St. Barthelemy (Fr) 7,298 (7/2013) Not reported

?.  Bonaire (Dutch) ????? ?        ??

753,106,310 71,482,435

The Count

40. Venezuela 28,459,085 (7/2013) Inconclusive- 3.5%

41. Colombia 45,745,783 (7/2013) 1,829,831 or 4%

42. Guyana 739,903 (7/2013) 223,450 or 30.2%

43. Suriname 566,846 (7/2013) 56,684 or 10%

44. French Guiana (Fr) 225,751 (ined.fr 2009) Inconclusive

45. Ecuador 15,439,429 (7/2013) 1,111,639 or 7.2%

46. Peru 28,849,303 (“) 865,479 or 3%

47. Bolivia 10,461,053 (“) Inconclusive- La Saya Music

48. Chile 17,216,945 (“) Inconclusive

49. Argentina 42,610,981 (“) Inconclusive

50. Paraguay 6,623,252 (“) Inconclusive

51. Uruguay 3,324,460 (7/2013) 132,978 or 4%  

953,369,101 (July 2013 est.) 75,702,496 or 8%

Life Can Be Funny!

Oscar Wilde

Life Can Be Funny will be my new submissions for publication. It is dedicated to one of favorite authors, who always tempered real life with humorous conjections. Visit for a laugh or two! 

Reader's Digest Submissions

1. After a three gruesome hours waiting at the local DMV, a man stormed away from the teller window, irate that he’d been in the wrong line the entire time. The same man stood behind me, as I waited in line for a new driver’s license photo. Unfortunately, we both took the news that the office would be closing before we could get our licenses, hard. That’s when he yelled, “if I get to heaven and it looks anything like this bureaucracy, I’m throwing a chair through the window and leaving!”

2. My roommate and I, were sitting outside on our 2nd floor patio, watching the evening scenery when she began to complain about how the neighborhood was going down the toilet. She expressed how the police were increasingly patrolling the complex and how the people at night were always breaking glass. That’s when I interjected, “well, if you see people throwing bottles and breaking glass at night, don’t be scared tell them to stop…” She retorted, “It’s you breaking the glass at night. Can you stop?” I was shocked by the news.

Coolest Man Alive by Cowan Amaye-Obu and the Family!