(Akiit.com) Public intellectual, philosopher, writer, and activist Cornel West is the author of several books about the various aspects of American culture. Well known for delving into complex issues ranging from race to religion, politics, and popular culture, Dr. West has never been an individual to shy away from speaking truth to power. Race Matters, the arguably now classic book provided an in depth analysis of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. While the list of topics he touches on reach far and wide, the life he led prior to being a world renowned professor was not one of them. Living and Loving Out Loud: A Memoir, fills in much of this background.

This latest book differs from his past work, as the focus is directed inward. Living and Loving Out Loud is the story of Dr. West upbringing, coming of age, and personal struggles throughout his life journey. Critically looking at one’s experiences is no easy undertaking, and the manner in which he does is refreshing. Instead of being evasive about his mishaps, he honestly puts forth the events of his life in a tone that is free of self-aggrandizement.

Cornel West describes himself as “a bluesman in the life of the mind, and a jazzman in the world of ideas.” In discussing his love for music, he recounts his personal favorites that range from nearly every genre of 20th century music. Be it Jazz, Blues, or Hip-Hop, West expresses his insight on the inner workings of the genre. It is admirable how he can explain at length the elements of popular music, and see the value in an art form that many intellectuals regard as debased and transitory.

Of particular note, is Dr. West outlook on hip-hop and its origins. He notes “Music education was drastically cut in neighborhood schools. Poor kids couldn’t get their hands on instruments. So self-invented artists—like Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, and Kool Herc—invented instruments of their own. In talking about the origin of music he takes into account the reality of the conditions arose from. To paraphrase, this genre of music literally made something out of nothing. A point missed by most pundits and critics of rap music.
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(Akiit.com) SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google Inc. is apologizing for a racially offensive image of the first lady that appears at the top of the list when users search for pictures of Michelle Obama on its site.

Google placed a text ad above the image titled “Offensive Search Results” that states “Sometimes our search results can be offensive. We agree.”

Users who then click on the ad are directed to a letter from Google that explains its results “can include disturbing content, even from innocuous queries” but notes that Google doesn’t endorse content on these Web sites.

Google says its search formula relies on thousands of factors to rank a Web page’s importance, and says it doesn’t eliminate search results simply because of user complaints. However, Google says it will take down images in certain cases, such as when required by law to do so.

“We apologize if you’ve had an upsetting experience using Google,” the company wrote.

Mountain View, California-based Google also posted about the issue in a user support forum.

Spokesman Scott Rubin would not elaborate on how the image ended up as the number-one result for the first lady.

The Google letter says “a site’s ranking in Google’s search results relies heavily on computer algorithms using thousands of factors to calculate a page’s relevance to a given query.”

Rubin said the company did remove one site displaying the image from its results because it included viruses, which Google policy prohibits. But a different Web site later posted the same image, he said.
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(Akiit.com) For the second year since 1994, four African-American undergraduates have won Rhodes Scholarships, which carry with them the privilege of studying at Oxford, England’s oldest and most venerated university.

Named for the South African mining magnate, Cecil John Rhodes, the scholarships, worth about $50,000 each for two years, have been prominent passports to gateways of power, privilege and prestige since they were created in 1903.

Two of the four blacks are men, and two are women. They are Andre McCall from Truman State University, Ugwechi Amadi, an MIT senior, and two Harvard College undergraduates, Darryl Finkton and Jean Junior.

Representing 12.5 percent of the total of 32 winners from colleges and universities in the United States, the four men and women will take their places at Oxford next fall with the 28 other scholarship winners from this country. All 32 scholarship winners were elected by 16 committees operating under the umbrella of the Rhodes Scholarship Trust, based in Vienna, Virginia.

More than 7,000 winners worldwide have been selected since 1903, but no exact number for North Americans are unavailable because paper records for several years were not transferred to microfiche; at least 3,000, however, hailed from this country and Canada.

Along with blacks from this country, Africans from South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland were selected. Jamaicans and Caribbean were also chosen as well. Other scholarship winners of color will represent India, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

For most of the past 46 years, American blacks have won at least one Rhodes. Two African American seniors were chosen in 1963 – John Edgar Wideman, a University of Pennsylvania student, and J. Stanley Sanders, from Whittier College, near Los Angeles. In some of the years after Wideman and Sanders were selected, most recently in 1996, no blacks were chosen.

In 1907, Alain Locke, the intellectual wizard known as the father of the Harlem Renaissance, was the first African-American awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. That ignited a threatened boycott by the white, southern winners, who claimed they’d refuse their scholarships if Locke’s were not rescinded. Rhodes officials were not intimidated and said Locke’s selection would not be withdrawn. The southerners dropped their threat, but never spoke to Locke during his two years at Oxford.

No blacks were welcomed into the Rhodes circle of winners for more than a half century – 56 years – until Wideman and Sanders were elected in 1963.

Wideman is a distinguished professor at Brown University, a MacArthur Genius Award winner and a nationally acclaimed writer. Sanders, a respected Southern California attorney, is well known in political and business circles and was a mayoral candidate in 1993.
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(Akiit.com) Just surfing the net, as I don’t see many people online at this time now… Yes this is no longer the it thing, and people get on to check email, visit facebook then log off usually… Well I see that a few famous stars are now taking human growth hormone as overnight many have become buff… Yes bigger then some body builders… I will need to research this, so let me head over to google..

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(Akiit.com) I do need to clean up this pc, as to many un-used software has bloated the system… Hard to work when it keeps freezing up every other second… Oh well this Toto sink looks great in the bathroom… So glad I decided to purchase it thanks to my beautiful wife… Everyone seems to love it… Well let me pull out my blackberry as I need to text a few friends, etc…

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