Japanese Doll-Makers Can Make A Mini-You

The rapid advancement of technology is being accompanied by some "weird-science" like inventions.

A Japanese company now manufactures dolls that are close replicas to people. Customers send the company a photograph that the company then turns into a look-alike doll. According to Wired Magazine, the doll can also be hooked up to the internet and read web content out loud in your own voice.

Am I the only one who finds this slightly disturbing? Lol. What's next???

[SIDEBAR: Are they trying to make humans obsolete?]

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words Pic Of The Week

Medgar Wiley Evers

Black History Fact Of The Day

Betty Shabazz, widow of Malcolm X, received a PH.D. in Education Administration. She was a great advocate for education and community advancement.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report: Facebook Looks For A New Chief Financial Officer

Facebook is seeking to fill their recently vacated position of Chief Financial Officer. According to The Wall Street Journal, the 5 year old social networking company is allegedly "looking for a CFO with public company experience." This statement is helping to fuel the rumor that Facebook may become a publicly held company in the near future.

The Wall Street Journal also states that Facebook is predicted to have a 70% increase in revenue in 2009. They currently have an estimated 200 million users. With numbers like these, I wonder how much a share of Facebook will go for if and when the company goes public.

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law

New York will allegedly make a $2.6 million payout to a man who spent almost a decade and a half in prison for a crime he didn't commit.

The wrongly convicted man is reportedly receiving the money as a settlement to a federal civil rights lawsuit that he filed against the state and the city.

The erroneously convicted New Yorker was found guilty of murder in 1990. In 2005, new evidence emerged that led to his exoneration.

Quote Of The Day

"We are not in a position in which we have nothing to work with. We already have capacities, talents, direction, missions, and callings." -Abraham H. Maslow

Did You Know That You Can Use Donuts And Tea To Channel Solar Energy?

A Canadian scientist has discovered that you can use donuts and tea as materials to create a solar cell.

According to Wired Magazine, the scientist has revealed that titanium dioxide nanoparticles- found in powdered sugar, can be covered by a natural die- like the one found in some teas, and then can be used as a light-absorbing layer on certain devices.

[SIDEBAR: We can probably expect to see Jack Bauer implement this on a future episode of "24." Lol.]

The Black History Fact Of The Day

Florence Griffith-Joyner aka Flo-Jo held world records in the 100m and 200m track races.

In addition to being a track star, Wikipedia reports that Flo-Jo also designed the Indiana Pacers uniform one season. She was also a burgeoning businesswoman and author.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report

Later today the President will reportedly publicly map out his plan to save America's car industry. After General Motors and Crysler asked for approximately $22 billion more in government aid, after already receiving $17.4 billion of taxpayers money; President Obama is allegedly set to make more stringent guidelines before making the payout.

Although it has not been said to have been officially part of the oncoming restructuring, Newsday is reporting that, "General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagnor will step down [from his post] immediately at the request of the White House."

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law

The Copyright Term Extension Act is also called The Sonny Bono Act, or The Mickey Mouse Protection Act. The act was given these monikers because the Disney Corporation and Mary Bono (Sonny Bono's widow) lobbied hard for the law's passage.

The Copyright Term Extension Act, which was signed into law in 1998, extended the period of copyright protection to: The life of the work's creator plus 70 years; and for works of corporate authorship- 120 years after creation or 95 years after publication- whatever comes first. After the aforementioned time periods have elapsed, the work becomes public domain.

Quote Of The Day

"Ordinary riches can be stolen: real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you." -Oscar Wilde

Quote Of The Day

"A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop." -Robert Hughes

Quote Of The Day

"In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't." -Blaise Pascal

When Satellites Collide

Last month, a United States owned communications satellite and a Russian satellite collided 500 miles over Siberia. NASA scientists say that the collision is the first of its kind of this magnitude. A huge cloud of debris that is drifting in space is the remnants of the crash. Scientists predict that it will likely take several more weeks to assess the full damage.

According to The Guardian, the cause of the crash is unknown. The news source also states that in the last two decades there have only been three other space collisions between objects in orbit. However, they were slight in comparison to this one.

Black History Fact Of The Day

Cullen Jones is the first African American to hold a world record in swimming.

Cullen Jones set this record (and won a gold medal) in this past summer's Olympics, along with his 3 teammates in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report

This week 30-year mortgages fell to a record low of 4.85%. The unprecedented drop caused mortgage applications to rise more than 30%. However, according to Newsweek, "Nearly 80% of [the] applications came from borrowers seeking to refinance home loans at lower rates, rather than purchase homes."

In addition to the drop for 30-year mortgages, 15-year fixed rate mortgages fell to 4.85%

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law

New York City parents, the president of the teacher's union, and the city's public advocate, have all joined together and filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education and the Education Chancellor, Joel Klein. The defendants claim that the city is illegally closing regular schools and replacing them with charter schools.

The defendants are arguing that the closings have not been done within the confines of the law because the city has never gained the approval of parent councils and community school boards to perform them.

The abrupt school closings are also resulting in children in certain neighborhoods not having zoned schools to attend.

TODAY IS...

PLEASE PASS THIS ON! (EACH ONE TEACH ONE OR TWO!) THIS IS PHASE ONE ON HOW WE CAN HELP TO STRENGTHEN & EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITY:The 2008 not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case evoked outrage, emotion, and debate. It is not an anomaly that the police officers involved in the Sean Bell slaying were acquitted of all charges on all counts in State Supreme Court. I could run out of ink printing the names of people who have been victimized by the inaptly named justice system.

The American justice system has been especially terroristic towards the African American community. Many community members can cite historic and personal accounts to prove this. Therefore, it would be foolhardy (at the least) to turn to a system that has methodically oppressed us, and request that they free us. We can only free ourselves through extreme discipline and intelligent planning.

As a community we have been too compliant with leaders who organize ineffective, delayed reactions. The only strategy that can save us in this last hour is one that calls for a collective code of conduct that will be conducive to improving the conditions of our community, and shifting the paradigm of how we are treated by outside entities. The first step of this code of conduct should be based on economics.

The old adage of “money talks,” still reigns true in the new millennium. Any political scientist worth his or her library card will tell you that: “Economic powerlessness equals political powerlessness,” and conversely “economic power equals political power.” This means that if we continue to allow our wealth to be extracted from our community, we will remain impotent.

The power of the collective “Black Dollar” is often discussed. However, that power has been left unchanneled. Today is the day to change that. A one-time boycott is not going to bring long-term change and respect to our community. Our community has launched boycotts before. Our success and ascension will be based on what we consistently do. For this reason, we should initiate “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS.”

BUY BLACK FRIDAYS is a small step towards our community acquiring power via controlling our economics. Every Friday, people who acknowledge the injustice and oppression that the African American community has been consistently subjected to should do one of the following:

Option #1: Spend $0 on Friday
Option #2: Spend no more than $10 on Friday
Option #3: Only Shop at Black Businesses on Friday
[PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE OPTIONS CAN & SHOULD BE EXERCISED ON A DAILY BASIS. However, we can all at the very least focus on Fridays. This way we can take a collective stand and build our collective discipline. Please remember that this is only Phase 1!].

To the people who are tempted to label “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS” as racist, I say this: In the big scheme of things, this is about right & wrong, justice & injustice. The African American community is a strong, proud community that has endured the brunt of America’s iron fist. We must stop the pounding. I feel that any fair-minded individual will concur, and join in.

ANY business that is privileged to enjoy the support of the African American community MUST return that support.

I thank you in advance for your effort and dedication.

-Elsie Law AKA Starface

Quote Of The Day

"The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy." -Florence Shinn

Black History Fact Of The Day

Former Phoenix Suns' All-Star Kevin Johnson was recently elected Mayor of Sacramento. He is Sacramento's first African-American Mayor.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report

According to The Wall Street Journal, solar stocks on the market in China soared more than 30% after the Chinese government announced that they would be directing their support towards the development of solar energy technology.

On the United States side of things, The Wall Street Journal states that stocks are stronger than they have been in the last 18 months.

Technology stocks like Intel and Hewlett-Packard have both had gains greater than 5%.

Despite the recent stock gains, financial analysts are debating how long the rally will last.

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law: The Open Public Meetings Act- Part 2

A section of The Open Public Meetings Act states that: "The governing body of a public agency shall provide the time for holding regular meetings by ordinance, resolution, bylaws, or by whatever other rule is required for the conduct of business by that body. Unless otherwise provided for in the act under which the public agency was formed, meetings of the governing body need not be held within the boundaries of the territory over which the public agency exercises jurisdiction. If at any time any regular meeting falls on a holiday, such regular meeting shall be held on the next business day. If, by reason of fire, flood, earthquake, or other emergency, there is a need for expedited action by a governing body to meet the emergency, the presiding officer of the governing body may provide for a meeting site other than the regular meeting site and the notice requirements of this chapter shall be suspended during such emergency. It shall not be a violation of the requirements of this chapter for a majority of the members of a governing body to travel together or gather for purposes other than a regular meeting or a special meeting as these terms are used in this chapter: PROVIDED, That they take no action as defined in this chapter."

Quote Of The Day

"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need." -Kahlil Gibran

Black History Fact Of The Day

David Crosthwait holds 39 patents in the United States, and 80 patents internationally. Most of his patents are for inventions that control temperature.

He created the heating system for Radio City Music Hall and Rockerfeller Center.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report: GE's $300 Million Contract With China

According to The Wall Street Journal, General Electric recently won a $300 million contract with China. They will supply China with the necessary equipment to extend their natural gas line.

China, is already home to one of the longest active gas pipelines on the globe. When the extension that GE is currently contracted to complete is finalized by 2011, their gas line will be longer than the Great Wall.

GE's and China's affiliation with each other is nothing new. They have had a business relationship with each for more than 3 decades.

Most notably, The Wall Street Journal states: "The company says it recognized about $600 million in revenues in 2008 from roughly 400 infrastructure projects it sold in China surrounding the Olympics last year."

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law: The Open Public Meetings Act- Part 1

According to The Open Public Meetings Act, "All meetings of the governing body of a public agency shall be open and public."

This act also states that: "A member of the public shall not be required, as a condition to attendance at a meeting of a governing body, to register his name and other information, to complete a questionnaire, or otherwise to fulfill any condition precedent to his attendance"

Quote Of The Day

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." -Steve Jobs

Definitions Better Than Webster's: Part 20

FEAR:
"Fear is a method; terror makes fear, and fear stops people from thinking rationally." -Albert Camus & Philip Zimbardo

Black History Fact Of The Day

Before his death Johnnie Cochran, along with attorney Charles Ogletree, represented the survivors of the attack that caused the obliteration of what was called "Black Wall Street."

The plaintiffs sought compensation in the form of educational and health-care resources for the current-day residents of the area.

According to Wikipedia: "The federal district and appellate courts dismissed the suit citing the statute of limitations, and the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal. In April 2007, Ogletree appealed to the U.S. Congress to pass a bill extending the statute of limitations for the case."

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words Pic Of The Week

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report

New video game technology that can potentially change the way the gaming industry distributes its product is being introduced.

Later in 2009, OnLive Inc. Will offer technology that will eliminate the use of gaming consoles and tangible gaming software. According to The Wall Street Journal, the new technology will allow "advanced games to be run remotely on servers and played over the internet...or on specially equipped televisions." This feat can be performed because the technology will utilize software that has the ability to rapidly compress and decompress immense quantities of data.

OnLive Inc. feels that this new method of gaming will benefit both the video game corporations and the video game consumers. They proclaim that game manufacturers will no longer be subjected to software piracy; and the gaming consumers will no longer have to purchase expensive consoles. How much this service will cost customers has yet to be revealed. The question is whether or not consumers will bite.

[SIDEBAR: What are the implications of technology like this being offered to the populous game-playing public?]

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law: Will Constitutional Rights Apply To Cellphone Records?

According to Wired Magazine, a landmark case is being tried in the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. Although this case has received little media attention, its outcome will set a serious precedent.

The court is now deciding whether or not the government can mandate federal judges to order cellphone service providers to release a back-log of cell-tower information for any phone number without probable cause, and without a search warrant. The Obama administration is reportedly in favor of this. However, dissenters say that this practice would be a violation of the 4th Amendment- which protects against unreasonable search and seizures.

If the Obama administration has their way, they will be able to obtain loads of information from cell towers at will. In addition to the details of correspondence, cell-site records can also reveal a person's past and present whereabouts.

The American Civil Liberties Union is hoping that the Federal Appeals court rules against the administration's quest to expand warrantless surveillance.

Quote Of The Day

"There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less." -Kurt Hahn

Black History Fact Of The Day

Mary McLeod Bethune was born to parents who were both slaves. She became an educator and an activist.

Mary McLeod Bethune started a school for Black scholars in Florida. She was also an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report

Skype, the internet phone company which is owned by EBay, is seeking to expand into the business world. Skype manufactures a popular device that allows users to make free phone calls and video calls between computers.

Today, they will reportedly launch internet calling software that can be implemented into corporate phone banks. Skype's initial launch will be limited. However, the service is expected to be widely available by the end of the year.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "The new software is expected to allow employees to make domestic and international calls using regular office telephones, instead of a headset plugged into a personal computer."

With the rates for making calls from Skype ranging from free (for computer to computer calling) to 2.1 cents per minute (for calls that are placed to cellphones & landlines), Skype is especially looking to attract small and mid-sized businesses as clientele.

EBay is hoping that Skype's new business software will bring in enough revenue to appease stockholders who have allegedly been demanding that the internet phone company add more to the conglomerate's bottom line, or be sold off.

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law

A case that has been winding through the judicial system for almost 3 decades, has resulted in one of the largest judgments ever awarded on Staten Island.

28 years ago, a Staten Island native and former Wall Street executive, sued a pharmaceutical manufacturer after contracting polio and losing his job.

According to 1010 wins, the plaintiff alleged that he contracted the disease while changing his daughter's diaper after she had orally ingested a vaccine for the disease. The plaintiff stated that a live virus that was an ingredient in the vaccination passed through his daughter's body and infected him.

The judge concurred and awarded the father $22.5 million this past Friday. The vaccine manufacturer plans to appeal the verdict.

Quote Of The Day

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." -Bruce Lee

Quote Of The Day

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." -Rumi

Black History Fact Of The Day

In 1872, Thomas Martin patented a fire extinguisher that he invented.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report: JetBlue's Founder & Former CEO Goes Blue Again

David Neeleman, who founded the airlines JetBlue, has a new venture. After being ousted from his company by the board of directors in 2007, the entrepreneur has formed a new company that is a remix of his old one.

Neeleman had almost instant success with his former corporation JetBlue Airways. He founded the company in 2000, and it quickly grew to bring in revenues in excess of $2.5 billion annually. However, he was unceremoniously dismissed after JetBlue failed to weather the storm that inclement weather brought to his venture. However, all has not been abandoned.

The Brazilian born businessman has returned to the place of his birth and launched Azul Airlines. According to CNN, Neeleman premiered his new company in December 2008- a month ahead of schedule. CNN states that: "Neeleman expects to triple the Brazilian air travel market, to 150 million flights a year, by working from the JetBlue playbook.

With Brazil being a popular vacation spot, Neeleman just may reach the heights of his past success in the airline business again.

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law

A Republican Senator and a Democratic Senator have joined forces to introduce legislation that will require the FCC and the Commerce Department to take inventory regarding how they use their airwaves.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the wireless industry is applauding this new legislation. Wireless providers are hoping that the inventory will identify and eliminate 'spectrum squatters'- who are airwaves users who don't own the licenses for the frequencies that they are utilizing. If the inventory accomplishes this, more airwaves will be available for purchase. Wireless vendors are eager to scoop them up.

As an interesting sidenote, The Wall Street Journal also states that last year, the federal treasury netted at least $20 billion auctioning off tv airwaves.

Book Excerpt Of The Week: Part 2- "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" By: Philip Zimbardo

I keep hearing people discussing the spiritual & psychological war that people feel that we are engaged in. This book touches on that topic in a variety of ways. The following excerpt discusses 10 ways that people can be lured into complying with situations that they know are wrong. [Sidebar: In Part 1, I listed the first 5. In Part 2, I list the last 5.] Knowledge is power. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

"...6) Starting the path toward the ultimate evil act with a small, seemingly insignificant first step, the easy 'foot in the door' that swings open subsequent greater compliance pressures, and leads down a slippery slope. This is also the operative principle in turning good kids into drug addicts, with that first little hit or sniff.

7) Having successively increasing steps on the pathway that are gradual, so that they are hardly noticeably different from one's most recent prior action. 'Just a little bit more.'

8) Gradually changing the nature of the authority figure from initially 'just' and reasonable to 'unjust' and demanding, even irrational. This tactic elicits initial compliance and later confusion, since we expect consistency from authorities and friends. Not acknowledging that this transformation has occurred leads to mindless obedience (and it is part of many 'date rape' scenarios and a reason why abused women stay with their abusing spouses).

9) Making the 'exit costs' high and making the process of exiting difficult by allowing verbal dissent (which makes people feel better about themselves) while insisting on behavioral compliance.

10) Offering an ideology, or a big lie, to justify the use of any means to achieve the seemingly desirable, essential goal. In social psychology experiments, this tactic is known as the 'cover story' because it is a cover-up for the procedures that follow, which might be challenged because they do not make sense on their own. The real-world equivalent is known as an 'ideology.' Most nations rely on an ideology, typically, 'threats to national security,' before going to war or to suppress dissident political opposition. When citizens fear that their national security is being threatened, they become willing to surrender their basic freedoms to a government that offers them that exchange. Erich Fromm's classic analysis in 'Escape From Freedom' made us aware of this trade-off, which Hitler and other dictators have long used to gain and maintain power: namely, the claim that they will be able to provide security in exchange for citizens giving up their freedoms, which will give them the ability to control things better.

Such procedures are utilized in varied influence situations where those in authority want others to do their bidding but know that few would engage in the 'end game' without first being properly prepared psychologically to do the 'unthinkable.' In the future, when you are in a compromising position where your compliance is at stake, thinking back to these stepping-stones to mindless obedience may enable you to step back and not go all the way down the path- their path. A good way to avoid crimes of obedience is to assert one's personal authority and always take full responsibility for one's actions." -From, "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" By: Philip Zimbardo

Quote Of The Day

"Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside while still alive." -Tupac Shakur

Book Excerpt Of The Week: Part 1- "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" By: Philip Zimbardo

I keep hearing people discussing the spiritual & psychological war that people feel that we are engaged in. This book touches on that topic in a variety of ways. The following excerpt discusses 10 ways that people can be lured into complying with situations that they know are wrong. [Sidebar: In Part 1, I list the first 5. I'll post the last 5, in Part 2.] Knowledge is power. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.


"Lets outline some of the procedures in this research paradigm that seduced many ordinary citizens to engage in apparently harmful behavior. In doing so, I want to draw parallels to compliance strategies used by 'influence professionals' in real-world settings, such as salespeople, cult and military recruiters, media advertisers and others. There are ten methods we can extract from [the researcher] Milgram's [experiment] for this purpose:

1) Pre-arranging some form of contractual obligation, verbal or written, to control the individual's behavior in pseudo-legal fashion. (In Milgram's experiment, this was done by publicly agreeing to accept the tasks and procedures).

2) Giving participants meaningful roles to play ("teacher," "learner," etc.) that carry with them previously learned positive values and automatically activate response scripts.

3) Presenting basic rules to be followed that seem to make sense before their actual use but can then be used arbitrarily and impersonally to justify mindless compliance. Also, systems control people by making their rules vague and changing them as necessary but insisting that 'rules are rules' and this must be followed.

4) Altering the semantics of the act, the actor, and the action (For example: from 'hurting the victims' to 'helping the experimenter,' punishing the former for the lofty goal of scientific discovery)- replacing unpleasant reality with desirable rhetoric, gilding the frame so that the real picture is disguised. (We can see the same semantic framing at work in advertising, where, for example, bad-tasting mouth wash is framed as good for you because it kills germs and tastes like medicine is expected to taste).

5) Creating opportunities for the diffusion of responsibility or abdication of responsibility for negative outcomes; others will be responsible, or the actor won't be held liable. (In Milgram's experiment, the authority figure [i.e. The Researcher] said, when questioned by any 'teacher,' that he would take responsibility foranything that happened to the 'learner')." - From, "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" By: Philip Zimbardo

Black History Fact Of The Day

According to Info Please, Nat King Cole was the first African-American to become a network television show host. He accomplished this feat in 1956, when "The Nat King Cole Show" aired.

Oprah Winfrey became the first Black woman to host a network television show when her talk show premiered in 1986.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report: Cisco Is In Negotiations To Acquire The Flip-Camera Company

Cisco, a company that has profitably manufactured and sold networking switches and routers, is reportedly in the process of purchasing Pure Digital Technologies. Pure Digital is the seller and manufacturer of the popular flip video camera.

Cisco is adamant that adamant that this purchase will help them transition into the consumer market for easy-to-create and share videos.

Pure Digital will allegedly cost Cisco $590 million. This is a drop in the hat for the company that, according to Information Week is, "flush with a $29 billion war chest" that it has earmarked to use to buy up other companies.

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law: New Mexico Deads The Death Penalty

New Mexico's Governor signed legislation that repealed the death penalty in that state. Previously, the Governor was in favor of capital punishment. However, he has stated that he doesn't have confidence in the current justice system to dole out decisions regarding who lives and who dies for their crimes.

The U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976. According to The Wall Street Journal, New Mexico is the second state to ban execution since the reinstatement. New Jersey is the first.

TODAY IS...

PLEASE PASS THIS ON! (EACH ONE TEACH ONE OR TWO!) THIS IS PHASE ONE ON HOW WE CAN HELP TO STRENGTHEN & EMPOWER OUR COMMUNITY:The 2008 not guilty verdict in the Sean Bell case evoked outrage, emotion, and debate. It is not an anomaly that the police officers involved in the Sean Bell slaying were acquitted of all charges on all counts in State Supreme Court. I could run out of ink printing the names of people who have been victimized by the inaptly named justice system.

The American justice system has been especially terroristic towards the African American community. Many community members can cite historic and personal accounts to prove this. Therefore, it would be foolhardy (at the least) to turn to a system that has methodically oppressed us, and request that they free us. We can only free ourselves through extreme discipline and intelligent planning.

As a community we have been too compliant with leaders who organize ineffective, delayed reactions. The only strategy that can save us in this last hour is one that calls for a collective code of conduct that will be conducive to improving the conditions of our community, and shifting the paradigm of how we are treated by outside entities. The first step of this code of conduct should be based on economics.

The old adage of “money talks,” still reigns true in the new millennium. Any political scientist worth his or her library card will tell you that: “Economic powerlessness equals political powerlessness,” and conversely “economic power equals political power.” This means that if we continue to allow our wealth to be extracted from our community, we will remain impotent.

The power of the collective “Black Dollar” is often discussed. However, that power has been left unchanneled. Today is the day to change that. A one-time boycott is not going to bring long-term change and respect to our community. Our community has launched boycotts before. Our success and ascension will be based on what we consistently do. For this reason, we should initiate “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS.”

BUY BLACK FRIDAYS is a small step towards our community acquiring power via controlling our economics. Every Friday, people who acknowledge the injustice and oppression that the African American community has been consistently subjected to should do one of the following:

Option #1: Spend $0 on Friday
Option #2: Spend no more than $10 on Friday
Option #3: Only Shop at Black Businesses on Friday
[PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ABOVE OPTIONS CAN & SHOULD BE EXERCISED ON A DAILY BASIS. However, we can all at the very least focus on Fridays. This way we can take a collective stand and build our collective discipline. Please remember that this is only Phase 1!].

To the people who are tempted to label “BUY BLACK FRIDAYS” as racist, I say this: In the big scheme of things, this is about right & wrong, justice & injustice. The African American community is a strong, proud community that has endured the brunt of America’s iron fist. We must stop the pounding. I feel that any fair-minded individual will concur, and join in.

ANY business that is privileged to enjoy the support of the African American community MUST return that support.

I thank you in advance for your effort and dedication.

-Elsie Law AKA Starface

Quote Of The Day

"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties." -Harry Truman

Video Of The Week

Ancient Civilization...Interesting...

Anecdote Of The Week: How Quickly Do You Conform To An Idea That You Know To Be Incorrect?

"One of the earliest studies on conformity, in 1935, was designed by a social psychologist from Turkey, Muzafer Sherif. Sherif, a recent immigrant to the United States, believed that that Americans in general tended to conform because their democracy emphasized mutually shared agreements. He devised an unusual means of demonstrating conformity of individuals to group standards in a novel setting.

Male college students were individually ushered into a totally dark room in which there was a stationary spot of light. Sherif knew without any frame of reference, such a light appears to move about erratically, an illusion called "autokinetic effect." At first, each of these subjects was asked individually to judge the movement of the light. Their judgments varied widely; some saw movements of a few inches, while others reported that the spot moved many feet. Each person soon established a range within which most of his reports would fall. Next, he was put into a group with several others. They gave estimates that varied widely, but in each group a norm crystallized wherein a range of judgments and an average-norm judgment emerged. After many trials, the other participants left, and the individual, now alone, was asked again to make estimates of the movement of light- the test of his conformity to the new norm established in that group. His judgments now fell in this new group-sanctioned range, 'departing significantly from his earlier personal range.'

Sherif also used a confederate who was trained to give estimates that varied in their latitude from a small to a very large range. Sure enough, the naive subject's autokinetic experience mirrored that of the judgments of this devious confederate rather than sticking to his previously established personal perceptual standard." -From, "The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" By: Philip Zimbardo

Black History Fact Of The Day

According to the website, Info Please, Sarah E. Goode was the first African American woman to receive a patent.

Her patent was for a bed that folded into a cabinet. She received this patent in 1885.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report: Fox Trot Economy

Here's a little bit of financial slang for us this morning.

According to Investopedia a Fox Trot Economy is: "A term coined by investment strategist Jeffery Saut that describes a period in which 'fast-fast' growth economic figures are expected to be followed by periods of 'slow-slow' figures.

The term refers to the fox-trot dance steps: Two fast steps followed by two slow ones."

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law: The Dept. Of Justice's Ruling On NY's Term Limits Debacle

The federally run U.S. Department of Justice has okayed The New York City Council's decision to abolish term limits for New York politicians.

According to The New York Daily News, The Department of Justice must approve any changes to the voting rules for cities that are covered by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. New York is such a city.

Dissidents to the term change in New York politics still have another chance to see this situation turned around. A lawsuit was filed in Brooklyn Federal Court to settle the issue of whether of not the Mayor and The City Council had the authority to remove term limits, despite the citizens of the city voting twice to keep them in place. Although the U.S. District Judge sided with the Mayor and The City Council in this case; an appeal has been filed, and is on the docket to be heard later this month.

Quote Of The Day

"The law of attraction attracts to you everything you need, according to the nature of your thought life. Your environment and financial condition are the perfect reflection of your habitual thinking. Thought rules the world." -Joseph Edward Murphy

[SIDEBAR: I'm really just becoming acquainted with this theory. I wonder how beneficial this would be if children were taught this concept at an early age.]

Quote Of The Day

"The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." -Michael Althsuler

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words Pic Of The Week

Dick Gregory

Black History Fact Of The Day

At one time actress and singer Della Reese sang with Mahalia Jackson's gospel group. She was also the first Black woman to guest host The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report: Beware: Banks Are Raising Credit Card Rates- Even For On Time Customers

Credit card holders be on alert! Banks like: Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and Capital One have been raising the interest rates on their credit cards- even for customers who consistently pay on time. These financial companies have reportedly been abusing the fine print on their agreements.

You can combat the rate hikes if you notify the company that you don't agree to the increase, and close your account. However, there is a trick to this strategy. The New York Daily News quotes a financial advisor, who says: "Banks are required to notify you as little as 15 days in advance that a rate hike is coming. The warning could be tucked in your monthly bill- or come in an envelope you mistake for junk mail."

The sneak attack interest rate hikes are grossly unfair to customers. The New York Daily News quotes a member of The New York Public Interest Research Group as poignantly saying: "The same companies taking federal bailout money with one hand are crunching cardholders with the other- and cardholders are the taxpayers who are bailing them out. It should also be noted that some of the companies are doing this while granting their executives hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses.

[SIDEBAR: Where is the legislation to stop this??? Talk to your Senator, and local politicians about creating legislation to stop this practice.]

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law: Today's D.O.J. Ruling Will Determine If Mayor Bloomberg Has A Chance To 3-Peat

Today is the deadline for The U.S. Department of Justice to render a decision that will determine whether or not New York's Mayor Bloomberg will have the opportunity to run for a third term. In a controversial vote performed by The New York City Council, the Council granted the mayor- and other New York politicos- the right to occupy their positions for more than two terms. However, The Department of Justice will have the final say.

The quest for New York to abolish term limits for their politicians was deemed discriminatory by some. According to The New York Daily News, Randy Mastro (one of the attorneys who petitioned the D.O.J. to keep New York's term limits in place), has stated that: Since 1993, no minority candidate has ever unseated a White incumbent for a municipal office in New York City...It's a textbook case of a civil rights violation." Today the Department of Justice will declare whether or not they concur with Mr. Mastro's assessment.

[SIDEBAR: Either way many New Yorkers are not happy with the bullying tactics, and disloyal political flip-flopping that went on within The New York City Council in order to attempt to bring an end to term limits. This will hopefully be reflected in the polls when voting time rolls around. Voters should not caste their votes for politicians who play in the mud to get their way, and/or fail to keep their word to their constituents.]

Quote Of The Day

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." -Zig Ziglar

Invention Spotlight: Scientists Create A Substance That Heals In The Sun

Scientists have combined some interesting materials to create a substance that heals when it is exposed to sunlight. The substance, which can be used as a coating, reconfigures itself when scratched if it is exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays. According to The BBC, it takes approximately 30 minutes of sun exposure for the innovative coating to completely heal itself.

Chitosan- which comes from shells of crustaceans, and polyurethane- a popular varnish, are part of the ingredients that make up the unique substance.

Car manufacturers are said to be excited about the implications of the new invention. Imagine perpetually having a scratchless paint job on your vehicle.

Black History Fact Of The Day

Black Swan was reportedly the first American record label that was owned & operated by African Americans. It was based in Harlem.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report: President Obama Wants AIG's Bonuses Rescinded

American International Group Inc., a financial corporation that received billions of dollars of taxpayers money in a bailout, disbursed $165 million in bonuses to their executives on Friday. The same executives who were at the helm of the company during the time that it came close to folding, have been rewarded with money in excess of their regular salaries.

President Obama is reportedly very upset about the payout of bonuses. He has vowed to pursue every legal tactic he cam employ in order to get the executives to return their bonuses.

According to The Wall Street Journal, President Obama has stated: "This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed. Under these circumstances, it's hard to understand how derivative traders at AIG warranted any bonuses, much less $165 million in extra pay. How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat? This isn't just a matter of dollars and cents. It's about our fundamental values."

I think that strict parameters should have been layed out for corporations before they received bailout money. It should be illegal for corporations to use struggling taxpayers' money for luxuries.

Elsie Law's Daily Dose Of The Law

According to Black's Law Dictionary, a "Presentment" is: "A written accusation of a crime, initiated by the grand jury itself, and in effect an instrument that an indictment can be drawn."

Quote Of The Day

"You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Black History Fact Of The Day

Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress. She served as a Congresswoman for 7 terms.

Shirley Chisholm was also the first Black person to be a major-party candidate for The President of The United States.

Today's Fly Or Die Commerce Report: The Video Game Market Continues To Thrive

According to Information Week, the video game industry is expected to bring in $40 billion globally in annual revenue by 2012.

The gaming industry is proving that it can thrive during an international recession. According to marketing research, the demographics of video gamers is expanding. More women are playing; and the average age of gamers has risen to 33 years old. Market researchers predict that mobile games will have an approximately 25% annual growth rate over the next 3 years.

[SIDEBAR: With the ever-expanding popularity of video games, does that mean that virtual Reality > Reality?...Welcome to the matrix.]