Yesterday, I hit the big one. That’s right, I turned 30 years old. Contrary to popular belief (mostly by people in the over-30 club) 30 is not the 20. 30 is, in fact, 30. Rather than running away from my chronological destiny, however, I have decided to embrace my inner “grown man” with gratitude and optimism. To do that I’ve had to accept certain realities and respond accordingly. And so should you.

Clubwatch – Chris Rock once joked about not wanting to be the “old guy in the club.” While 30 isn’t too old yet, you must now constantly reassess whether that nightclub, party, or other social setting is appropriate. Otherwise, you’ll receive a rude awaking when that sexy young person you approach refers to you as “sir” or “ma’am.”

Change Clothes – While it’s too early to retreat to “old man” style, you can no longer keep up with the 106th and Park crowd when it comes to your sartorial choices. But don’t worry, somewhere in between silk paisley shirts and throwback jerseys is a style that is grown, sexy, and, most important, age appropriate.

Hit the Gym – Consistent exercise will keep you looking good and feeling better. ‘nuff said.

Face Reality –An 18-year-old kid who is jobless and living in his mother’s basement is “finding himself.” A 35-year-old man who’s doing the same is a loser. While dreaming is great–I’ve even had a few in my younger days—we must also be realistic at some point: How likely is it that you’ll become the first middle-aged rapper? How is your plan to strike it rich in real estate going to pan out if you have no firm game plan? By marrying your dreams to mature self-assessment, you can push yourself even further.

Invest Your Money – Yes, times are hard. Still, being 30 without a bank account is not cute. If possible, try to pay off your credit cards, start a 401k, and choose some safe investments. If money’s a little tighter, try to save as much disposable income as possible. Ideally, you should be able to live 3 months from your savings if you were to lose your job.

Read a Book! – Although ignorance is never cool 30-something is the perfect age to develop deeper knowledge about history and current affairs. Whether it’s religion, politics, geography, or the economy, now is the time to begin holding it down on the knowledge front.

Give Thanks – Whether you’re 30, 50, or 100, life is a precious thing. Be thankful, as another day is never promised!

By Glenn “Omodiende” Reitz

I am not my body
I am not weak,
weak with fatigue, weak with atrophy, weak with limbs that give out well before the job is done, quivering and panting.

I am not my body
I am not dying, decaying, degenerating
debilitating, disease-ridden, dissolving, disappearing…
slowly, like blood stains on the sidewalk, bleaching under footsteps and the daily sun –
until one day you just notice that they’re gone
and you can’t remember who left them, who died.
All you can remember is that the crime scene jammed traffic for blocks, the sudden stop/start of the bus spilling coffee on your shirt, and making you late for work.
You remember that.
Curious, though, the coffee stain is still there, no matter what you do –
just keep your jacket closed so no one sees.

I am not my body,
I am not slowly slipping into shadows
Losing brightness and luminosity
Sinking in obscurity and the sussurus of memory.
I am not my body
slowly wearing out like an eraser on the pencil of a writer
leaving bits and pieces of myself behind, evidence of mistakes and redirected thought,
wearing slowly to a useless nub.
If I would write less perhaps I would last longer, maintain my shape, my form, my body
but the writing serves a purpose, if only to make the eraser useful.
And the writing I can’t stop.

I am not my body
I’m a shining, luminous creature, strong and vibrant
casting shadows of my own illuminesence
burning into minds and onto paper
growing stronger every day.
My appetite and capacity feed cravings that direct me and empower me
imparting flight to me like that of hummingbirds – no,
not stupid hummingbirds but honeybees.
Swarming out from hidden places, taking sustenance and energy from everywhere they stop to feed, yet always leaving something fertile and productive,
bits and pieces left behind. They, too, serve a purpose.
but even bees are gone at sunset, fly to shadows ‘fore the night arrives
So maybe then I’m not a bee, or hummingbird.
But I am damned sure not my body
I’m not.

When Obama turns his attention to the Education Department, let’s hope he picks a progressive.

We Can’t Afford a School Privatizer in Obama’s Cabinet
By Alfie Kohn

If we taught babies to talk as most skills are taught in school, they would memorize lists of sounds in a predetermined order and practice them alone in a closet. — Linda Darling-Hammond Progressives are in short supply on the president-elect’s list of cabinet nominees. When he turns his attention to the Education Department, what are the chances he’ll choose someone who is educationally progressive?

In fact, just such a person is said to be in the running and, perhaps for that very reason, has been singled out for scorn in Washington Post and Chicago Tribune editorials, a New York Times column by David Brooks and a New Republic article, all published almost simultaneously this month. The thrust of the articles, using eerily similar language, is that we must reject the “forces of the status quo” which are “allied with the teachers’ unions” and choose someone who represents “serious education reform.”

To decode how that last word is being used here, recall its meaning in the context of welfare (under Clinton) or environmental laws (under Reagan and Bush). For Republicans education “reform” typically includes support for vouchers and other forms of privatization. But groups with names like Democrats for Education Reform — along with many mainstream publications — are disconcertingly allied with conservatives in just about every other respect. To be a school “reformer” is to support:

• heavy reliance on fill-in-the-bubble standardized tests to evaluate students and schools, generally in place of more authentic forms of assessment;
• the imposition of prescriptive, top-down teaching stand-ards and curriculum mandates;
• disproportionate emphasis on rote learning — memorizing facts and practicing skills — particularly for poor kids;
• behaviorist model of motivation in which rewards (notably money) and punishments are used on teachers and students to compel compliance or raise test scores;
• corporate sensibility and an economic rationale for schooling, the point being to prepare children to “compete” as future employees; and
• charter schools, many run by for-profit companies.

Notice that these features are already pervasive, which means “reform” actually signals more of the same — or, perhaps, intensification of the status quo with variations like one-size-fits-all nationalcurriculum standards or longer school days (or years). Almost never questioned, meanwhile, are the core elements of traditional schooling, such as lectures, worksheets, quizzes, grades, homework, punitive discipline and competition. That would require real reform, which of course is off the table.

For the rest of the story, click here.

To temper premature talk of a post-race America, just look down your street.

Not In My Neighborhood
By Lawrence Bobo

Barack Obama’s success, as Congressman John Lewis put it recently, is another step on the long road toward laying down the “burden of race.” But the growing use of the phrase “post-racial America” should worry us all.

Consider the results of one major social science study, published in Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, which yielded some troubling results about segregation of neighborhoods in America. Researchers at the University of Illinois, Chicago and the University of Michigan surveyed a large representative sample of households in Chicago and Detroit. As part of this highly innovative study, every participant was handed a laptop and was asked to view a series of video clips showing different neighborhoods. The set of neighborhoods remained constant. But the video was altered to manipulate their make up, to show either whites populating the neighborhood, or blacks or a mixed-race population.

According to UIC Professor of Sociology Maria Krysan, what the study sought to determine was “whether whites are colorblind in their evaluations of neighborhoods or whether racial composition still matters—even when holding constant the quality of the neighborhood.” The results clearly show that whites rated the neighborhood much more favorably when whites dominated the make-up. And the more negative the stereotypes a white individual held of African Americans generally, the more likely they were to negatively rate the identical neighborhood with a visible black presence.

This research combines new, high-quality data with grounded, real world problems and real world research techniques. While we would all like to believe that cues on social class now drive Americans more than those on race, it simply isn’t true. As sociologist Krysan explained: “These findings demonstrate that ‘objective’ characteristics such as housing [quality] are not sufficient for whites to overcome the stereotypes they have about communities with African-American residents.” Sadly, it was the race cues that mattered, not the class cues.

For the rest of the story, click here.

Amsterdam To Shutter Some Coffee Shops, Brothels

In an effort to stem organized crime, Amsterdam announced that it would be closing many of its brothels and marijuana-friendly cafes. What do you think?

Violet Secor,
Systems Analyst
“Amsterdam will still have plenty of fun things to do. Like visit the Anne Frank House.”

Curtis Dunford,
Pilot
“I hope the government provides assistance to those who will be unemployed. Otherwise, some of them might be forced into a life of prostitution or drug-dealing.”

David Damanskis,
Construction Worker
“I guess I’ll just have to stick to getting high and hiring prostitutes here in Ohio.”