December 6, 2004 Newsletter

Table of Contents
Coming Events	Articles	Scholarships/Fellowships
BB King Concert	What's Up With Leon? Flat Screen TV's--WHAT YOU CAN GET ME FOR XMAS Shift Work Sleep Disorders *Area Sleep Centers Most Dangerous Cities In America	Rockefeller Brothers Education Fellowships

ABPAFS MEMBERS PROFILE FORM

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What's the Matter With "Leon"? By Dave Zirin http://www.edgeofsports.com/

It's now the hottest commercial since Clara Peller looked beseechingly upon the world and asked us for the location of "the beef." Thanks to Budweiser, the buzz is all about "Leon". "Leon" is Bud's big joke parody of the modern professional athlete. "Leon" won't do interviews unless his special dimple is on display. "Leon" is far more concerned about looking "pretty" than playing well. "Leon" is egomaniacal, lazy, and all about the bling-bling. "Leon" only speaks in the third person. Oh by the way, "Leon" is Black. Well Dave Zirin thinks that the "Leon" commercials are pure unfiltered racist crap, and Dave Zirin is going to tell you why. "Leon" is supposed to be a harmless caricature, but of whom? Some say he's Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. But Owens, for all his celebrated end zone hi-jinks, is an MVP candidate who hasn't taken a play off since he entered the league. Others have suggested Minnesota Vikings wide-out Randy Moss. The same Moss who has made multiple pro-bowls and led the Minnesota Vikings to two NFC championship games? Those cleats don't fit either. So who is "Leon"? To ask the question is to come close to the answer. Pro sports play two primary roles in our society: they reinforce "values" like discipline, hard work, and patriotic obeisance and they also stand as a massive global cash cow - to the tune, according to Business Week, of hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Players like Michael Jordan - who CNN once called "the ultimate global marketing tool" - have brought corporate values and profits together in one smiling red, white, and blue package. But in an increasingly polarized country, the symbiosis of profits and the public's acceptance of corporate values are coming apart. We live in the sports age of the "anti-hero". Young people are increasingly identifying with athletes that seem to tell everybody to go to hell. When Terrell Owens takes over the game with his bizarre touchdown choreography, risking thousands of dollars in fines, he is bypassing the No Fun League to make a direct connection with the fans. When Barry Bonds starts his own web site to stick it to reporters and "communicate directly with the people who support me", he earns popularity at the same rate he loses endorsements. The Tale of AI But the ultimate anti-hero - the postage stamp of corporate America's frantic quest to rectify "values" and wealth, is the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson. Iverson's nickname is AI but there is nothing artificial about him. When AI was a rookie, he schooled Jordan on a crossover dribble and said afterward "Jordan is not my hero. None of my heroes wear suits." As interest in the whip-fast, charismatic guard exploded, Corporate America both drooled and recoiled. To this day, they love the way Iverson's jerseys and sneakers fly off the shelves, but can't stand the "baggage" that comes with him. They love his pedigree as a star Virginia high school quarterback and basketball guard but they hate his teenage prison stint for his involvement in a bowling alley "race riot". (His conviction held such a taint of "southern justice" that it was highlighted on 60 minutes and the Governor eventually pardoned him.)

They want him on the cover of their programs and magazines, but despise his multitudinous tattoos so much they have been known to airbrush them right off his arms. But the fans love AI's every transgressive move - especially because it walks hand in hand with his style of play. Iverson has been voted year in and year out, one of the toughest guys in the league by his peers. He weighs 160 pounds soaking wet, and wouldn't be six foot tall in a pair of Mahnolo Blahniks but never shies from contact, getting more bumps, bruises, and floor burns than any player alive. Yet for all his on-court efforts, he also thinks nothing about blasting "practice" as a waste of time. Saying to hell with "practice" is a shot at the very hard work, discipline and obedience that leagues try to push as the road to success. "The Malice in the Palace" But corporate America's unease with selling sports anti-heroes is reaching new heights in the wake of the Pacers-Piston Fans brawl now being called "the Malice at the Palace". Discussions are raging across ESPN and the talk radio spectrum asking if "the NBA should disassociate with hip hop" (whatever that means) and whether the influx of players straight out of high school has led to a "thug life" mentality in the league. Of course no one is saying that seventeen-year-old Yugoslavian players like Darko Milicic shouldn't be adopted (I mean drafted) by teams - just players named Qyntel, Kwame, and LeBron. Like so much in this barely coded discussion of athletes, fans, and violence, it comes down to race. When Yankees pitcher, the very Caucasian Jeff Nelson and utility infielder Karim Garcia pulled a heckling special-ed teacher out of the Fenway Park stands in the 2003 playoffs and pummeled him, this was a "brawl". When Roger Clemens threw a splintered bat at Mike Piazza in the World Series, this was explained as Clemens being overly competitive and "wound too tight". But when Black athletes are throwing the haymakers, all the language changes. The Pacers/Piston Fans brouhaha becomes - as ESPN is now routinely calling it – a "riot". The intrusion of race is most tragic in the case of the person at the center of the brawl: Ron Artest. As league commissioner David Stern and his corporate backers now try to kick the dirt on Artest - saying he will need to reapply to even rejoin the league next year - fans are starting to show up in stadiums with Artest jerseys. This stems from the anger in the air: anger at racism, anger at poverty, anger at the general hypocrisy of values that cry out against violence on the court while imprisoning millions at home and bombing cities to the stone age abroad. So who is "Leon"? "Leon" is corporate America's gob of spit in the face of modern Black athletes and anti-heroes. They are striking not only the players themselves, but also us - the fans-for embracing them. We shouldn't accept that. Let's load "Leon" on a bus with Stepin Fetchit, Mammy, Charlie Chan, and that damn Taco Bell Chihuahua - and push it off the pop culture cliff. Until "Leon" goes, Michelob will suit me just fine.

Television Gift Information

According to a new Consumer Electronics Association survey, the most desired electronic gift item for this holiday season is a plasma TV. Before you drop all that money on a 42-inch plasma TV, consider dropping it on a different kind of flat-screen TV, one that until this month wasn't even in the running: L.C.D. But until recently you couldn't buy flat-panel L.C.D.'s with screen sizes above 40 inches, not even if you were Bill Gates. They just didn't exist.

The world's largest commercially available LCD screens, have just arrived: a 45-inch LCD from Sharp (the LC-45GX6U) and a
46-incher from Samsung (LT-P468W). Apart from their sheer neighbor-humbling size, the biggest breakthrough is these screens' resolution: 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels. That's the highest resolution of any flat-panel TV (including the gorgeous new 42-inch LCD sets from Sony and Philips). You're getting more than two million tiny color dots. Compare that number with the 786,000 pixels on a typical 42-inch plasma HDTV, 345,000 on one of those $2,500 "enhanced definition" plasmas, and only 300,000 on a standard TV.

Then there's the matter of burn-in, which has terrified plasma buyers for years. A static image left long enough on a plasma screen will eventually leave a permanent ghost image on its phosphors. In general, LCD screens last longer, too. The Sharp and Samsung are rated at 60,000 hours, which comes out to six hours of viewing a day for 27 years, after which you can have the bulb replaced for $200, if in fact the TV, the company and you are still around. Plasma life spans are shorter, and you can't replace the bulb, although the latest models are catching up. The earliest screens, which are even now being hauled out to the curb by sobbing early adopters, lasted only a few years before the picture deteriorated noticeably.

These screens also enjoy the more universal perks of L.C.D.-hood, like being quite a bit lighter than a plasma. For example, the 45-inch Sharp, without its stand or speaker, weighs only 48 pounds; a plasma weighs about 80 pounds, requiring more structural support when mounting it on the wall.

Finally, LCD screens consume less electricity than plasmas, and they don't buzz at high altitudes, as plasmas do.
So if plasmas are heavier, shorter lived, greedier for power why on earth are they at the top of everyone's wish list?
The fact is, plasma is still superior to LCD in certain areas, especially price. The 45-inch Sharp and 46-inch Samsung cost $6,100 and $6,200 online, respectively, and about $8,000 in retail stores. For that kind of money, you could get a 50-inch plasma and still have $1,000 left over for popcorn.
Plasma is also the only way to go if you want something larger than 46 inches (for now, anyway; Samsung and Sharp have already demonstrated 57- and 65-inch LCD prototypes). You should also opt for plasma if you don't care about milking every speck of quality from high-definition broadcasts and you're perfectly content with the quality of DVD's. In that case, an "enhanced definition" plasma can save you thousands of dollars.
Picture quality is another debate. In general, an LCD's picture is sharper than a plasma's, and the colors are more vibrant. Moreover, an L.C.D. screen fares much better in a bright or sunlit room.
Above all, both of these screens change the landscape for anyone who's in the market for a big, gorgeous,
luxurious flat-panel TV. If you're among those whose No. 1 wish-list item is a plasma, consider wishing upon a different star.

	DIRECT VIEW	REAR PROJECTION			FLAT PANEL
Type	C.R.T.	CRT	LCD	D.L.P.	LCD	PLASMA
Description	The classic set, beaming electrons directly onto the back of a glass tube	Projects image from a cathode-ray tube onto the back of a translucent screen	New digital system using micro liquid crystal panels	New digital system using Texas Instruments’ digital light processing technology	Hangable units using liquid-crystal displays	Hangable units using small pockets of gas
PROS	Still the best image quality; durable	Least expensive big-screen technology	Thinner than CRT rear projection	Thinner than CRT rear projection	Mere inches thin; immune to ‘burn-in’ a permanent trace of an image	Mere inches thin; even in very large screen sizes
CONS	Heavy, bulky not available in biggest sizes	Heavy, Bulky	More expensive than CRT rear-projection for the same size screen	More expensive than CRT rear-projection for the same size screen	Expensive’ generally unavailable in sizes larger than about 44”	Expensive; potentially susceptible to ’burn-in’
TYPICAL PRICE RANGE	$100-$2,500	$1,000-$2,500	$2,000-$5,000	$2,500-$4,000	$400-$10,000	$2,000-$22,000
TYPICAL SIZE RANGE	Handheld to around 36”	40”-75”	42”-65”	43”-61”	15”-42”	32”-62”

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BB King December 8, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $79.50, $48.50 & $32.50 Available From: All Ticketmaster locations or by calling (734) 763-TKTS or (248) 645-6666 or online at www.ticketmaster.com

His reign as King of the Blues has been as long as that of any monarch on earth. Yet B.B. King continues to wear his crown well. At age 76, he is still light on his feet, singing and playing the blues with relentless passion. Time has no apparent effect on B.B., other than to make him more popular, more cherished, more relevant than ever. Don't look for him in some kind of semi-retirement; look for him out on the road, playing for people, popping up in a myriad of T.V. commercials, or laying down tracks for his next album. B.B. King is as alive as the music he plays, and a grateful world can't get enough of him. For more than half a century, Riley B. King - better known as B.B. King - has defined the blues for a worldwide audience. Since he started recording in the 1940s, he has released over fifty albums, many of them classics.

Black cities ranked ‘most dangerous’
Leaders challenge labels
By:
C. JEMAL HORTON, BlackAmericaWeb.com

For the ninth consecutive year, a city with a majority black population has been ranked as the nation’s most dangerous city.

This year, Camden, N.J., took the dubious honor, as determined by Morgan Quitno Press, a Lawrence, Kan.-based publishing and research company, which conducted the study for a book titled “City Crime Rankings.”

Five other predominantly black cities followed Camden, where about 45,000, or 56 percent, of the city’s 80,000 residents are black: Detroit, Atlanta, St. Louis, Gary, Ind., and Washington, D.C. Because of the way the Chicago Police Department records sex offenses, Chicago is not include in the survey.

In Gary, Ind., Tammi A. Davis, president-elect of that city’s NAACP chapter, said it doesn’t do any good to act as though largely black cities, including hers, don’t have serious problems with crime and safety.

“There definitely are certain areas of Gary that are not that appealing,” Davis said. But Davis, a former flight attendant, said she has grown tired of dealing with Gary’s villainous image so frequently. The city is 86 percent black.

“I grew up in an area on the west side of Gary, where it’s considered to be pretty bad. I’d be on trips and people would say, ‘Oh, you’re from Gary? Oh, you’re so articulate! You’re so smart!’” she said. “I’m sitting there thinking, ‘What, an articulate person can’t be from Gary?’ So, it was kind of like a compliment to me individually, but it was an insult to probably, one, my race, and, two, my community. So there was that perception. It’s always been there, but we’re working on changing it.”

Davis said the Gary NAACP is working individually with youth to create future black community leaders.

“We recently had a new police station built, too,” Davis said. “It has more state-of-the-art resources. I believe that there is more funding that is being put in place so that we may become a more competitive city. We have a lot of great characteristics. We’re close to Chicago. We have Lake Michigan available as an excellent resource. There’s money being put into certain areas to draw businesses in. The police force is working more closely with schools.”

Fellowships For Students of Color Who Wish To Enter The  Teaching Profession!

Deadline:  December 15, 2004

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund awards up to 25 ($22,100) fellowships annually to outstanding undergraduates in the arts and sciences who wish to pursue a Master's Degree in Education in preparation to teach in America Public Elementary and Secondary Schools.

Eligibility: Undergraduate junior in the arts and sciences and expect to graduate in May 2006

Must be admitted to the School of Education for Fall Term, 2005. Participate in a 7-week summer project (will receive a $2,500 stipend)

Application:
Application materials are available in the Office of Student Services, Suite 1033,School of Education Building, 610 E. University Applications for School of Education and Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fall Term 2005 must be completed and submitted by

December 15, 2004

More details/questions

Office of Students Services (734) 764-7563

or

Dr. Henry Meares (734) 764-9567 or hmeares@umich.edu,

Suite 1111A, School of Education Building.

SAFEST 25 CITIES:

MOST DANGEROUS 25 CITIES:

1	Newton, MA	1	Camden, NJ
2	Brick Twnshp, NJ	2	Detroit, MI
3	Amherst, NY	3	Atlanta, GA
4	Mission Viejo, CA	4	St. Louis, MO
5	Clarkstown, NY	5	Gary, IN
6	Lake Forest, CA	6	Washington, DC
7	Thousand Oaks, CA	7	Hartford, CT
8	Colonie, NY	8	New Orleans, LA
9	Cary, NC	9	Richmond, VA
10	Dover Twnshp, NJ	10	Birmingham, AL
11	Irvine, CA	11	Baltimore, MD
12	Troy, MI	12	Richmond, CA
13	Greece, NY	13	Memphis, TN
14	Parma, OH	14	Jackson, MS
15	Hamilton Twnshp, NJ	15	Tampa, FL
16	Danbury, CT	16	San Bernardino, CA
17	Simi Valley, CA	17	Compton, CA
18	Sunnyvale, CA	18	Springfield, MA
19	Sterling Heights, MI	19	Miami, FL
20	Livonia, MI	20	Cleveland, OH
21	Lee's Summit, MO	21	Dayton, OH
22	Farmington Hills, MI	22	North Charleston, SC
23	Orem, UT	23	Little Rock, AR
24	Fargo, ND	24	Oakland, CA
25	Stamford, CT	25	Cincinnati, OH

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Graveyard shift takes toll on workers, firms
By
Karen Dybis / The Detroit News

Technician Mike Gable views data from a patient at the Sleep Disorders Clinic at Henry Ford Hospital. The clinic is conducting a sleep study of shift workers

As more employees join the night shift, sleep disorders - and health insurance costs - are on the rise.   Carol Smith felt awful. The new 911 dispatcher constantly circled her office to stay awake during her overnight shift. When she got home, sleep was uncertain and fitful.

Nothing seemed to help the 52-year-old Macomb Township resident adjust to working night after night when her body's biological hard-wiring was telling her to sleep.

"The hardest times are in the middle of the night around 3 a.m. when there's nothing going on," she said. "You're fighting to stay awake and keep that attention level up. A lot of people don't realize they have a problem until their body gives out on them."

Smith eventually sought help and was diagnosed with shift-work sleep disorder - a condition that leaves tens of thousands exhausted, unable to concentrate and struggling to get proper rest.

Work-related sleep disorders are a growing concern in Detroit, which has nearly 400,000 shift workers, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. As many as 100,000 Metro Detroit shift workers suffer from sleep problems, said Gary Richardson, a staff physician and senior research scientist at Henry Ford Hospital's Sleep Disorders and Research Center.

Studies show employees with sleep disorders are twice as likely to have accidents on the job as other workers.

And experts say job-related sleep disorders are likely to become an even larger problem as technology and the global economy change work patterns.

As the population on the night shift increases, companies are searching for ways to improve health and safety of their nighttime work force and help workers reduce stress, improve on-the-job safety and sleep soundly when they are off the clock.

At Midland-based Dow Chemical Co., new workers go through shift-work training, which focuses on issues related to sleep, alertness and digestion as well as family and social life. This training is backed up by the company's internal Web site, which has a section devoted to shift-work information.

Dow also relies on expert Dena Pflieger, its shift-work health and fatigue point person, to stay on top of research and industry practices and apply them to Dow's policies. "We recognize shift work is here to stay," Pflieger said.

Thousands of auto industry line workers toil on the graveyard shift and cope with the toll it takes on their sleep patterns.

"I tried to work the third shift for a while. You really get run down," said Terry Bumbalough, a 52-year-old welder at DaimlerChrysler's Warren stamping plant.

The plant's third shift typically runs from 11 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. The Algonac resident said he tried short 20-minute to one-hour naps - sometimes called power naps - but they couldn't replace a good night's sleep. Now, Bumbalough works from 3-11:30 p.m. and enjoys the quiet ride home.

Sleep Centers in the Area
University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Center 1500 E Medical Center Drive 8D 8702 Univ. Hosp., Box 0117 Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Phone: 734-647-9064	Auburn Hills Sleep Center 895 Opdyke Suite C Auburn Hills, MI 48326 Phone: 248-276-1600 Email: sleepdimensions@ wideopenwest.com
Henry Ford Health System Sleep Center Clara Ford Pavillion, 3rd Floor 2799 West Grand Boulevard Detroit, MI 48202 Phone: 313-916-5151 URL: http://www.henryford.com	Hurley Sleep Diagnostics Center 1125 South Linden Road Suite 270 Flint, MI 48532-4073 Phone: 810 230 3390

Workplace tips

Experts recommend that employers with shift workers:

Install bright lights in work areas. A well-lit workplace signals to the body that it is time to be awake and alert. Companies should provide vending machines with healthy food choices and a microwave oven.

Schedule shifts to allow sufficient breaks and days off, especially when workers are re-assigned to different shifts. Plan enough time between shifts to allow employees to not only get enough sleep, but also attend to their personal lives.

Don't promote overtime among shift workers.

Develop a napping policy. Encourage napping by providing a sleep-friendly space and time for scheduled employee naps. A short break for sleep can improve alertness, judgment, safety and productivity.

Be concerned about employee safety going to and from work. Encourage the use of carpools, public transportation, rested drivers and even taxis.

Source: National Sleep Foundation

Tips for a good night's sleep

Set a schedule. Go to bed at a set time each night, and get up at the same time each morning.

Exercise 20-30 minutes a day.

Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. Caffeine acts as a stimulant and keeps people awake. Smokers tend to sleep very lightly and often wake up in the early morning due to nicotine withdrawal. Alcohol robs people of deep sleep.

Relax before bed. A warm bath, readi

ng or another relaxing routine can make it easier to fall asleep.

Sleep until sunlight. If possible, wake up with the sun, or use very bright lights in the morning. Sunlight helps the body's internal biological clock reset itself each day.

Don't lie in bed awake. Do something else, like reading, watching television or listening to music, until you feel tired.

Maintain a comfortable temperature in the bedroom.

See a doctor if your sleeping problem continues. Most sleep disorders can be treated effectively.

Source: National Sleep Foundation

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