Black Political Attitudes and Political Rap Music

Many argue that political or message rap no longer exists. Scholars and critics point to rap music as a genre that is completely negative and only diminishes the progress of the Black community by offering and supporting stereotypes of African Americans (Johnson, Jackson and Gatto 1995; Carpentier, Knobloch and Zillman 2003). On the contrary, I argue that all rap music is not the same and that in fact, there is a subgenre in rap music, political rap, that discusses political issues and candidates exclusively. In this article, I proffer a criterion for identifying political rap music to demonstrate a distinction between the subgenres of rap and the prevalence of political rap within mainstream radio. Finally, I examine the lyrical content of political rap for the assertion of Black Nationalist ideology. Keywords: Rap, Black Nationalism, political rap, Black political attitudes, popular culture, public opinio

Free Your Mind: Contemporary Racial Attitudes and Post Racial Theory

The inauguration of the United States first Black President has prompted mass discussions of race relations in America. It is often articulated that America is now in a post-racial society. However, the question still remains: does the election of a Black president demonstrate that America is now a color-blind society? To answer this question, we rely on data collected by PEW (2007). Our results suggest that white and African Americans differ significantly in the extent to which they express post-racial attitudes. Specifically, we find that whites more commonly express post-racial attitudes, claiming that racism and discrimination are rare, in opposition to African American views. On the other hand, blacks are more likely to believe that discrimination still occurs. We further find that whites\u27 post-racial beliefs are significant determinants of their attitudes towards race-related policies, such as affirmative action. Keywords: Race, Obama, Post-racial, Public Opinion, Racial Attitudes, Racial Politics, African American

Plant compartment and genetic variation drive microbiome composition in switchgrass roots.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a promising biofuel crop native to the United States with genotypes that are adapted to a wide range of distinct ecosystems. Various plants have been shown to undergo symbioses with plant growth-promoting bacteria and fungi, however, plant-associated microbial communities of switchgrass have not been extensively studied to date. We present 16S ribosomal RNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) data of rhizosphere and root endosphere compartments of four switchgrass genotypes to test the hypothesis that host selection of its root microbiota prevails after transfer to non-native soil. We show that differences in bacterial, archaeal and fungal community composition and diversity are strongly driven by plant compartment and switchgrass genotypes and ecotypes. Plant-associated microbiota show an enrichment in Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria as well as Sordariales and Pleosporales compared with the surrounding soil. Root associated compartments display low-complexity communities dominated and enriched in Actinobacteria, in particular Streptomyces, in the lowland genotypes, and in Alphaproteobacteria, specifically Sphingobium, in the upland genotypes. Our comprehensive root analysis serves as a snapshot of host-specific bacterial and fungal associations of switchgrass in the field and confirms that host-selected microbiomes persist after transfer to non-native soil

The Effects of an Elevation Training Mask on VO2max of Male Reserve Officers Training Corps Cadets

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(1): 37-43, 2017. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an elevation training mask (ETM) on the VO2max of male Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. Fourteen male ROTC cadets (age 20.00 ± 1.8 yrs, height 174.35 cm ± 3.1 cm, weight 76.75 kg ± 11.09 kg, body fat 13.88% ± 4.62%) participated in this study to determine if an ETM would cause a significant increase VO2max. After the familiarization period, the test subjects were randomly assigned to either the control or experimental group, respectively. The training period lasted seven weeks with each subject participating three days per week. The post-test was performed four days after the final training session. Statistical analysis indicated no significant difference in VO2max values (p = 0.34) between the (control vs. the experimental group). This study concluded that the ETM did not cause a significant increase in VO2max under the training conditions of this study. However, results may differ if there is an increase in the frequency of exposure to the ETM, as well as an increase in the duration of the training period

Bridging the In-and-Out of School Divide: Lessons for Supporting Learning in Educational Makerspaces

Makerspaces and the practice known as “making” (creating physical and digital projects through often interdisciplinary, hands-on practices) have sparked interest in the world of educational policy, research, and practice as an opportunity for improving youths’ motivation to engage with: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), social-emotional learning, creativity, equitable learning, and more. The full extent of making’s potential as an education practice is not yet known but continues to be explored both in and out of schools. Through three successive studies, I explore the learning taking place in both in-and-out of school environments and discuss the lessons learned in both settings for understanding and improving educational maker practice across contexts. The first study consists of a gap analysis of prior research literature related to educational making for youth across contexts to inform measurement of learning in schools and research. I identified the gaps between what learning has been measured in research, by what means, for which populations, and categorized learning outcomes based on practices the literature has indicated are critical to the making process. This sparked the need for a deep investigation into relatively unexplored practices that support learning to make and learning through making. The second study expanded upon learning outcomes identified in the gap analysis in an out-of-school setting, a makerspace based on a grant for STEM making in a transitional housing facility for young adults who have left foster care without the support of family, college, and often employment. Through legitimate peripheral participation with a local maker community of practice, the makerspace supported the creative, entrepreneurial, and even therapeutic needs of the youths. The third study captures learning outcomes in a school makerspace. Students in a high school physics class worked as a team to compete locally in a drone-designing challenge and developed documentation practices to share ideas, learn from their mistakes, and get feedback. Taken together, these studies suggest that like youth, practices transform as they inhabit new contexts; a learning practice used in schools offers different affordances to the same practice out of schools. To measure and support learning in educational makerspaces or other learning contexts, one must understand both the educational practice and the larger organizational and cultural context that shapes it

The Heart of Justice: An Augustinian Ethic of Relational Responsibility

This dissertation is a response to current justice-thinking that emphasizes fairness, equality and autonomy but neglects the internal aspects of justice – its character as a virtue. By not attending to the heart of justice, I argue, this thinking reduces justice to an anemic concept that is ineffective in promoting flourishing. Thus, I suggest an affective and relational approach to justice that grounds justice in love and the pursuit of right relations. The Augustinian doctrine of rightly ordered loves and modern Catholic social teaching provide the foundation for my account. Chapter one examines the liberal accounts of John Rawls and Susan Moller Okin, and the postmodern-pragmatist account of Richard Rorty, arguing that these accounts – representative of current justice-thinking – are impoverished because, broadly, they hold inadequate views of selfhood. Chapter two explores Augustine’s account of the relation between love and justice, which inheres in right order and is apparent in the pursuit of right relationships. This account turns on Augustine’s view of human nature: human beings are rational, volitional, affective, relational creatures, who are called to love. Chapter three reckons with Augustine’s predestinationism and support of religious coercion, as well as Hannah Arendt’s rejection of love (especially the Augustinian kind) from political life, emphasizing the relationality and moral psychology of Augustine’s account to defend it against charges that it is too exclusivist, interior or paternalistic to be relevant to secular politics. Chapter four offers Augustine’s thinking on rightly ordered loves and right relations as a positive contribution to contemporary justice discourse. I develop this account in light of Catholic social teaching, focusing especially on human rights, responsibilities and the common good. Finally, chapter five suggests what engaging in right relations might mean for Christian political activity, relying heavily on H. Richard Niebuhr’s account of responsibility, and I compare this with liberal and postmodern perspectives. This dissertation, then, offers a holistic and authentically human framework for thinking through contemporary justice issues. It provides an important corrective to liberal and postmodern views of justice that focus solely on the rights of autonomous individuals, by maintaining that justice inheres in rightly ordered loves and the pursuit of right relationships

The Implementation of a Public-Use Bicycle Program in Philadelphia

Philadelphia has many worries: from a declining economy, to a population decrease, to severe gun violence. The city suffers from these worries as well as high taxes, poor transportation options and few jobs for many workers, all detrimental the quality of life of Philadelphia citizens. Severe congestion, high costs of car ownership as the mounting price of public have severely impeded personal mobility in the city. One answer to this detrimental problem can be found in Europe, through public-use bicycles (PUBs). In over 60 European cities, PUBs have made an enormous impact on personal mobility, allowing citizens to access the city through bicycles, used as a part of public transportation. Through user accountability and theft deterrents, PUB programs provide citizens with a highly efficient and reliable transportation option. Philadelphia could benefit greatly from such a program. Through a study of successful PUB programs throughout the world, Philadelphia can garner information regarding implementation, funding, operation, and infrastructure. All this information will be put forth in order to deliberate on the best practices of other models and see them replicated in Philadelphia. It is hoped that, in the future, Philadelphia will have a very successful large-scale public-use bicycle program, the first of its kind in North America

Out of the Classroom and Into the Community: Service Learning Reinforces Classroom Instruction

Technology students successfully developed four complete sets of house plans including floor plans, framing plans, and elevations. Because Habitat relies on donations of doors, windows, and cabinets, detail drawings and schedules vary and were not included. Unskilled persons who volunteered time and labor for Habitat needed concise and unambiguous directions from supervisors. The students\u27 drawings of floor and elevation plans provided these workers with a clear and graphic representation of the construction goals. As noted above, students were held to professional and technical accountability. This process was put in place to replicate real-world practices and to give students a sense of accomplishment that is achieved when they maintain their commitment to community-based responsibilities. As Hill (2004) notes, service learning projects not only provide technological artifacts that have real-world purpose and value, but they cultivate desirable attributes of citizenship and charity that are beneficial to society (p. 11 ). The academic service learning project outlined in this article is an example of a community outreach project that can be successfully completed at the secondary or postsecondary level. This project was a win-win for the students, the community, and the university. The technology students reported a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment resulting from their contributions to families in the local community. Beyond this, Dundon (2000) found that service learning projects helped students answer the questions: What do I do well? What life experiences have shaped me and made me who I am? (p. 34). This partnership between the University and Habitat for Humanity created a successful academic service learning project that gave these technology students real-world experiences, enhanced classroom learning, and enhanced the technology students\u27 personal and social maturation