Nearly 20 years after a black parent documented how hard it was to hear, “Mommy, I want to be white,”1 Psychology Today reinforced the false and hurtful sentiment that Black women aren’t attractive.

Last week they published an article claiming it to be scientific fact that Black women are less beautiful than women of other races,2 penned by Satoshi Kanazawa, who is notorious for hiding behind pseudoscience to promote discredited racist and sexist ideas.3

By giving Kanazawa a platform and validating his ideas, Psychology Today dehumanized Black women and girls everywhere. After widespread public outcry, they removed the article from their website.4 But that alone won’t erase the damage they’ve done by validating these discredited ideas — the editors need to apologize, explain how this happened, and let us know that it won’t happen again. Please join us in demanding they do so immediately, and then ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/827?akid=1987.1174326.Gg4MZA&t=3

Kanazawa’s article is flawed from top to bottom.5 Using a dataset from an unrelated study of teenagers, he draws the obviously false conclusion that Black women are “objectively” less attractive than women from other racial groups.

Kanazawa has a long history of hiding behind pseudo-science to express racist and sexist views. He once wrote an article asking “Are All Women Essentially Prostitutes?” and another suggesting that the US should have dropped nuclear bombs across the entire Middle East after 9/11 because it would have wiped out Muslim terrorists.6

So why does Psychology Today continue to give him a platform? Black women constantly face both subtle and explicit messages that they are valued less than women of other races — messages that are especially damaging to Black girls. Now Psychology Today has served as launching point for yet another attack, this time in the name of science.

Almost as if to cover up the racism inherent in his piece, Kanazawa says that black men are, “if anything more attractive” than their counterparts of other races because of “greater testosterone.”7 But even here Kanazawa relies on the same pseudoscience to describe black men in familiar terms — brutish, hypermasculine, oversexed, exotic. And that’s dangerous, too.

He uses a modern-day version of the faulty logic used to dehumanize blacks as inferior for hundreds of years, from the social Darwinists and eugenicists of the 19th century to The Bell Curve just 15 years ago. Psychology Today has a responsibility not to give such false logic a stage, nor validation.

To undo the damage it’s done, Psychology Today needs to explicitly reject Kanazawa’s ideas. Please join us in demanding that their editors apologize, explain how this article was published in the first place and what they’ll do to ensure it won’t happen again in the future. It takes just a moment

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/827?akid=1987.1174326.Gg4MZA&t=4

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha, and the rest of the ColorOfchange.org team

~ my 2cents ...

Monday mashup … &some News

05/23/2011 Nativegrl77

It’s Monday, cold and though it feels like autumn, again last week was a damn good week not only for the President but also for We the People; nothing even remotely feels like Armageddon as suggested by that old man I refuse to name here. The President is in Ireland and not only visiting his ancestry town like “the media” would like the viewers to believe but to make sure the people of Ireland and Europe know that he and Americans definitely are partners in Peace. The President will also be in the UK and will visit the Queen as well as affirm the partnership there too.

Living on the left coast does not protect us from mother nature but what has been happening in the mid, east and gulf coast is hard to watch even giving to the Red Cross just does not seem like enough. I have to say anyone living there has to think about what your Republican Governors wanted to do for the last 3.5yrs and that is to get rid of FEMA, Tornado, and Volcano alert systems. I say this among other poor if not bad policies needs to be taken seriously when as we all know is the worse tornado season ever. I want you all to think about what your neighborhoods would look like and what you personally would be going through without help from the government unless you can pay for the services or if you are able to take care of yourself like ron paul offers up as the way things should be. Yes, the weather here is odd and while it has been raining the wind blowing our weather has not been as unpredictable as the east coast and that is Mother Nature, different regions have different types of weather we accept that unlike the Republican Tea Party. The Political Party of NO is also unpredictable and not in a good way. I say our government on both sides of the aisle should work for all Americans no matter what race, creed religion etc. but they have done anything but act for We the People. It has taken some way too long to find out they had a plan, that Pledge to America was in my opinion a document of lies by crooks who intend to privatize everything that is not nailed down by the rule of law or that Congress can deal with. The Republican Party continues to do everything they can to stop change. They continue to stop All Americans trying to move into the 21st Century with an opportunity for good health, to stop being denied or be discriminated against, to have relief because your student will be covered under your insurance until the age of 26; the right has said this is a welfare program… College is not cheap; people lose everything in some cases from having to pay out of the nose because of the lack of good health care coverage or no coverage at all; small businesses will be able to get tax credits for hiring and maybe afford to provide health care too.

Oh yeah, to the Republican Tea Party equality, health care and respect for all are bad ideas even novel … wonder why no one else thought about or tried to improve the lives of Americans … oh wait; Presidents in the past have tried but no one was able to until now. The HCR bill is not perfect but can and will be adjusted over the next few years.

It’s time re-enforce the ideology of the Democratic Party. The new law of the land is just a beginning of change we can all believe in. It’s change that is also the beginning of what 53% heard, listened and voted for. We not only will expect it to continue We The People must participate in keeping this change happening by calling when we need to push Democrats to push forward into the 21st Century, sign Petitions to show the numbers that continue to support climate change, stop out-sourcing, education, energy and green jobs for all projects.

The change we voted for will not come easy and President cannot do it alone. It is a moment in which we in the Democratic Party need to rise up, voice our opinion, and shut down the negative noise of Republican members of Congress. Remind Republican Governors that they have definitely made a mistake that will result in a big come back for the Democratic Party who will govern for all Americans not just a select few.

Other News …

90 Dead in Joplin Missouri After Deadliest American Tornado in 60 Years

Five ways Moneygall is welcoming Obama ‘home’ to Ireland

Justices Order California to Shed 30000 Prisoners

Reuters

Fan’s view: Miami Heat ready to feast on Chicago Bulls

Iceland Set to Reopen Airports

Scott Brown won’t back GOP Medicare overhaul

Gingrich: I’m not a ‘Washington figure’

Los Angeles Times

FDA Warns Against Use of Food Thickening Gel After 2 Reported Infant Deaths

Dollar hits 2-month high against euro

Some Dentists Reluctant to Treat Kids on Medicaid: Study

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

You can help stop abuse of science …Kevin Knobloch, Union of Concerned Scientists

05/23/2011 Nativegrl77

Dr. Rosemary Johann-Liang spent seven years working for the government. Her job was to make sure that the prescription drugs we take and give to our families are safe and effective.

Become a member today and help UCS hold the Obama administration and its agencies accountable for protecting science by implementing reforms that will outlast their time in office.

But four years ago, she was reprimanded by her bosses for recommending that the popular diabetes drug Avandia carry a warning label because the drug had been linked to a significant increase in the risk of heart attacks. Her superiors not only failed to act on her recommendation, but they also took away her oversight role in the safety review of the drug. Avandia is made by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline—which, according to a Senate investigation, intimidated physicians and sought ways to downplay findings that a rival drug might reduce cardiovascular risk.

Unfortunately, Dr. Johann-Liang is not alone. Thousands of scientists, across various federal agencies, have told us they fear retaliation for blowing the whistle on political interference in their work.

The Union of Concerned Scientists called attention to widespread attacks on science like this during the Bush administration. Now, the administration has changed, but the system that allows politics to undermine science largely has not.

Please help UCS lock in government reforms to protect scientists and ensure the best available science informs key decisions about our health, safety, and environment—become a member today.

www.ucsusa.org

Federal agencies are working right now to develop stringent new policies to protect scientists from political pressure by special interests. Working with government scientists and other policy experts, UCS has developed resources for agencies to draw upon and is working to ensure these policies:

Protect scientists who report political interference in agency work;

Prevent conflicts of interest on science advisory committees;

Allow scientists to share their research and scientific analysis with the public and the press; and

Increase transparency so the public knows what science agencies consider when making policy decisions.

We need your help to ensure federal agencies adopt strong policies that protect science—now and into the future.

Please become a member today. www.ucsusa.org

Sincerely,

Kevin Knobloch

President

P.S. When you join UCS, you join more than 79,000 UCS members who also believe that decisions about our health, safety, air, and water should fully consider the best available science. Please join us today and help us keep politics out of science.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress: back in Session –the Republican led House — the Senate Today @2pmET

05/23/2011 Nativegrl77

The Senate Convenes at 2:00pmET May 23, 2011

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 3pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Following morning business, the Senate will resume the motion to proceed to S.1038, a bill to provide for the extension of expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act until June 1, 2015 with the time until 5pm equally divided and controlled between the two leaders or their designees.

Votes:

75: Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.1038, a bill to provide for the extension of expiring provisions of the PATRIOT Act until June 1, 2015;

Invoked: 74-8

There will be no further roll call votes during today’s session.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MAY 23, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

7:23 P.M. – SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.

7:20 P.M. – The Speaker laid before the House a message from the President transmitting an Order that takes additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in ExecutiveOrder 12957 of March 15, 1995, and implements the exisitng statutory requirements of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, asamended by, inter alia, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010. – referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered to be printed (H. Doc. 112-27).

7:19 P.M. – The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a sealed envelope from the White House on May 23, 2011 at 5:15 p.m. which is said to contain a message from the President whereby he submits a copy of an Executive Order he has issued with respect to further sanctions on Iran.

7:09 P.M. – ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

H.R. 1657: to amend title 38, United States Code, to revise the enforcement penalties for misrepresentation of a business concern as a small business concern owned and controlled by veterans or as a small business concern owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans

7:08 P.M. – Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 385 – 1 (Roll no. 332).

7:02 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

H.R. 1383: to temporarily preserve higher rates for tuition and fees for programs of education at non-public institutions of higher learning pursued by individuals enrolled in the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs before the enactment of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010, and for other purposes

7:01 P.M. – Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 389 – 0 (Roll no. 331).

6:54 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

H.R. 1627: to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for certain requirements for the placement of monuments in Arlington National Cemetery, and for other purposes

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 380 – 0 (Roll no. 330).

6:32 P.M. – Considered as unfinished business.

6:31 P.M. – UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was on motions to suspend the rules which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.

6:30 P.M. – Ms. Foxx filed a report from the Committee on Rules on H. Res. 269.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of May 23.

5:03 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. today.

5:01 P.M. – The House received a communication from Gene Green, Member of Congress. The Honorable Gene Green notified the House formally, pursuant to Rule VIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, that he had been served with a subpoena for documents issued by the United States Department of Labor’s Office of Administrative Law Judges in connection with a worker’s compensation claim pending before that Office and after consultation with the Office of General Counsel, he determined that compliance with the subpoena was consistent with the privileges and rights of the House.

H.R. 1893: to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend the airport improvement program, and for other purposes

5:00 P.M. – Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.

4:54 P.M. – DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1893.