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Archive for September 5th, 2008

Putting Things in Perspective: The Vetting of Sarah Palin

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

 By Bill Peterson (Right photo)

Wednesday night, Sarah Palin gave what was by all accounts an excellent speech.

This is a woman who, in the last week, has been the target of multiple, scurrilous attacks. The left wing press has made her into a pariah, a target upon which it can unload all of its hatred for conservatism. Much has been said, and it has been roundly speculated that McCain’s vetting process was anything but thorough. But between Palin and Barack Obama, can there be any question as to whose record has been more carefully examined by the media– by the American public?

Briefly consider the following facts, and ask yourself how many times you’ve heard about them in the mainstream press:

Obama, a black man, is a former member of a church that endorses Black Liberation Theology, a faith that believes that Christianity teaches us to free the “oppressed” through redistributing the wealth– the oppressed, in this case, being everyone who is black; this is a church that he attended for twenty years.

While visiting his father’s homeland, Kenya, in 2004, Obama met with and campaigned on behalf of fellow Luo tribesman and openly socialist Ralia Odinga, who is now the Prime Minister of Kenya.

Obama is a known associate of William Ayers, unrepentant domestic terrorist directly responsible for bombings on both the Capitol Building and the Pentagon; it is in that man’s home where Obama held his political coming-out party in 1995, when he first announced his candidacy for State Senator of Illinois.

Many are familiar with Barack Obama as a “community organizer,” but few seem to know what work he did specifically; Obama worked for the Developing Communities Project of the Calumet Community Religious Conference in Chicago, organizations based around the principles of the Communist writer, Saul Alinsky. Alinsky wrote a book called Rules for Radicals, which Obama says he read in college in his autobiography, The Audacity of Hope. Considered by many to be the Bible of bloodless socialist revolution, Rules for Radicals surely had an effect on the just-out-of-college Obama, considering that he went to work for organizations dedicated to the principles that were laid out in it. Alinsky’s son, L. David Alinsky, recently said to the Boston Globe:

“Barack Obama’s training in Chicago by the great community organizers is showing its effectiveness. It is an amazingly powerful format, and the method of my late father always works to get the message out and get the supporters on board. When executed meticulously and thoughtfully, it is a powerful strategy for initiating change and making it really happen. Obama learned his lesson well.

“I am proud to see that my father’s model for organizing is being applied successfully beyond local community organizing to affect the Democratic campaign in 2008. It is a fine tribute to Saul Alinsky as we approach his 100th birthday.”

According to Alinsky, Obama has learned his lesson well. What lesson, and from whom? The answer: how to affect “Change” as taught by an avowed Communist. This is how Obama earned his stripes– organizing.

When Barack Obama, the man who may quite possibly be the next Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, is free from the intense scrutiny that has been given to Sarah Palin’s seventeen year-old daughter’s romantic life, something is not right.

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API/Source.autonomyblogivisits

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East Africa: Tanzania challenges Uganda on “secret” Nile pact

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

Nairobi (Kenya) – A row is simmering between Uganda and Tanzania over the latter’s demand that Kampala share details of secret bilateral arrangements on the use of the River Nile’s waters that were allegedly agreed with Egypt during a brief stopover in Entebbe by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the end of July.

Tanzania suspects that the two leaders entered a pact to take more water out of the river for their mutual benefit. Tensions were fanned further after Uganda Water and Environment Minister Maria Mutagamba made three unofficial visits to Cairo that Tanzania now suspects could have been intended to draw up the framework for the Mubarak-Museveni pact.

President Mubarak made a brief stopover in Uganda on his way from South Africa where he had gone to rally support for Sudanese President Omar El Bashir against his likely indictment for crimes against humanity by the International criminal Court. According to a source who sought anonymity, among other bilateral issues, the two presidents also had specific discussions on the use of the Nile waters.

Neither of the countries, however, shared the minutes of these talks with the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), an inter-governmental organisation that brings together the Nile Basin countries of Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Eritrea (still an observer), Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania Sudan and Uganda. The EastAfrican has learnt that Tanzania requested the meeting’s minutes from NBI in vain, and consequently asked the organisation to use its mandate to follow up on the matter.

Tanzania’s interest in the matter is said to arise from concerns that Uganda is releasing water beyond the normal flow from Lake Victoria into the river for purposes of hydropower generation, which in the process ensures more water flowing towards Egypt, but hurts the ecosystem of the lake. Kampala confirmed that the Nile was high on the agenda of the presidents’ meeting, but said that Tanzania should not intervene in the two countries’ bilateral relations, because whereas Uganda hosts the major exit to the Nile, Egypt’s lifeline depends on the river.

Meanwhile, NBI member states are yet to agree on a new deal that will govern the use of the Nile waters, after throwing out the outdated bilateral agreements between Egypt and former colonialists Britain because not all the countries in the basin had consented to them. Against that background, Uganda’s recent behaviour on issues regarding the Nile is being seen as potentially undermining the confidence and trust that had so far developed among the members over the past 10 years of negotiating a new agreement.

One of the sticking points preventing an agreement is a clause in its draft pertaining to the security of water for all the riparian states.

There have been concerns expressed within and outside Uganda that the country is releasing more water than flows naturally from Lake Victoria into the Nile in order to achieve enough water-pressure to run the turbines at the twin Nalubale and Kiira power plants in Jinja, in order to generate more electricity to reduce the energy deficit facing the country.

Uganda has in the past argued that the real cause of falling water levels in Lake Victoria is tied to the climate change phenomenon and catchment-area degradation in countries where the major rivers that discharge into the lake originate.

The falling levels have affected the ecosystem of the lake, resulting in declining fisheries, difficulties in water navigation and hydropower production. But for Egypt, it means more water flowing towards it.

It is noteworthy that Uganda, while chairing the Nile Basin last year, had the opportunity to call a heads of state summit, but did not because it was busy hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting, according to government officials. DR Congo is the current chair of the inter-governmental organisation, but has yet to show any intentions of calling the crucial summit.

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API/Source.East African (Kenya), by David Malingha Doya

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Sudan: Rumblings of dissent on Bashir indictment

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

Khartoum (Sudan) – Seven weeks after the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, ICC, asked judges to indict Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for genocide and crimes against humanity, some domestic voices are now being heard that replace the initial expressions of support with calls for him to step down.

The first political leader to say so publicly was Ibrahim al-Shaikh, who is head of the small Sudanese Congress Party. Speaking at his party headquarters in Omdurman about how the country should deal with a possible indictment, al-Shaikh said there was ample evidence of the president’s involvement in crimes committed in Darfur.

“We cannot believe that the planes bombing civilians in Darfur can do that without his permission and approval,” said al-Shaikh.

Since the United Nations Security Council, UNSC, referred Darfur to the ICC in March 2005, al-Bashir’s government has strongly rejected the court’s jurisdiction, claiming to have a capable and impartial justice system able to prosecute crimes nationally. However, all the initiatives set up by Khartoum – like the Special Criminal Court on the Events in Darfur established one day after the ICC’s investigation was launched in June 2005 – have been dismissed as insincere by justice experts and human rights groups.

According to al-Shaikh, “It is clear to everyone that our judicial system is not willing to or capable of trying those who committed crimes, because of the lack of capacity of our lawyers and judges, which results from their lack of independence.” He called on the president to resign, adding, “If he thinks he is innocent, he should agree to stand trial, because that is the only way to end the crisis facing the country.”

This is the first open call of its kind since the prosecutor’s application for an arrest warrant against al-Bashir in mid-July, but it reflects a broader trend towards public questioning of the official line.

In the days before the prosecutor’s announcement, al-Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party, NCP, made every effort to show the world that the whole country was behind its leader. Commentators outside Sudan were taken aback as opposition parties scrambled to support al-Bashir and the NCP, but few within the country were surprised. Al-Bashir came to power in a military coup in 1989 and continues to control the army, police and security services, giving him a lot of leverage against his opponents.

In the aftermath of the prosecutor’s announcement, state-run radio and TV stations repeatedly broadcast messages of solidarity with the president, and the government tightened its censorship of independent newspapers. Editors were issued with new instructions which said that “any report or article seeming to be, or suspected of being, supportive of the ICC or the prosecutor will make the newspaper subject to suspension and the confiscation of its property”.

Judges at the ICC are still reviewing the evidence submitted by the prosecutors and have yet to issue an indictment for al-Bashir. A decision on whether to do so is expected any day now. Prosecutors say al-Bashir is responsible for ten counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Fur, Zaghawa and Masalit peoples of Darfur. They say that over the last five years, the president has masterminded crimes to destroy communities on ethnic grounds, ordering the destruction of food stocks, shelter, and wells; and that he conducted genocide through rape, hunger and fear as government troops and allied “janjaweed” militiamen murdered, tortured, raped civilians and forced them from their homes.

Just seven weeks on from the prosecutor’s request, the daily protest marches against the ICC have stopped, and security restrictions on the printed media seem to have softened. None is outwardly calling for the president to stand down or face trial at the ICC, yet it is of some significance that the authors of opinion pieces are daring to critique the government and offer suggestions on how to solve the problem.

Abdelbagi Jabril from the Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre cautions that the current relaxation of the censorship over the ICC issue is only relative, and may be more a reflection of erratic policymaking than of real change.

“They may allow you to write a story one week, but only if it serves their objectives. Censoring is a reality and journalists are not free.”

It is hard to assess the true level of political support for al-Bashir from reading the censored press, but contacts in Khartoum say Al-Shaikh’s Congress Party stands almost alone in openly calling for the president’s resignation. The party is secular, liberal and progressive in outlook, and was established in 1985 soon after the downfall of the dictator Gaafar Numayri Nimeiri. It has opposed al-Bashir’s rule since he seized power in 1989.

Only some small parties, like the Movement of New Democratic Forces, and Hassan al-Turabi’s Popular Congress Party have publicly echoed his calls for al-Bashir’s resignation.

Meanwhile, the main parties represented in the National Assembly continue to support al-Bashir, outwardly at least.

* Reporting from Sudan was provided by local journalists, who have not been identified out of concern for their security. The report was compiled by Katy Glassborow, an IWPR international justice reporter in The Hague.

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API/Source.Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)

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28 million Africans will die of chronic “silent killers” in ten years

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

YAOUNDE, Sept 3  – If action is not taken, some 28 million people will die of chronic non-communicable diseases in the WHO Africa region over the next 10 years, the WHO regional office for Africa has warned in the latest edition of its magazine African Health Monitor published in Yaounde on Tuesday.
 
      Non-communicable diseases, also called the silent killers, are debilitating and often present fatal complications such as blindness, renal failure and gangrene leading to lower limb amputations and hemiplegic conditions.
 
      The number of chronic disease-related deaths in the region in 2005 was 2,446,000, and WHO projects that 28 million people in the region will die from a chronic disease over the next years.
 
      “The rate of increase of deaths from chronic diseases will outstrip that from infectious diseases, maternal and prenatal conditions, and nutritional deficiences more than four-fold in the next 10 years. Most significantly, deaths from diabetes will increase by 42 percent,” writes Dr. Matshidisa Moeti of the Africa office in the magazine.
 
     It cites cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases as the most common forms non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the region. Existing data suggest that there were 582,000 new cancer cases in 2002, the most common being cervical, breast, liver, Karposi’s sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and prostate cancers.
 
     Globally, it says with appropriate interventions and services, one third of cancers can be prevented, one third are curable while the remaining one third are incurable. But the situation in Africa, because by the time of diagnosis, 80-90 percent of âtients have incurable cancers, with only 10-15 percent curable when given appropriate treatment.
 
     In 2002, cancer deaths were estimated at 412,100. If intervention to intensify and scale up prevention and treatment are not put in place, it is projected that in the year 2020 there will be 804,000 new cancer cases and 626,400 cancer-related deaths, says the magazine.
 
     Concerning diabetes, the overall regional prevalence is projected to reach 4.8 percent in 2030. The number of people with diabetes  in 2006 was 10.4 million and this figure is expected to increase to 18.7 million by 2025.
 
      The majority of cases in the region go underdetected, while the undiagnosed cases are estimated to be as high as 60-80 percent in Cameroon, Ghana and Tanzania. Undiagnosed cases evolve silently into complications such as renal failure, foot disease and diseases of the heart.
 
      In some countries in the region, the diabetes mortality rate is very high, more than 40 per 10,000 inhabitants.     
 
      As concerns cardiovascular diseases (CVD), it is estimated that more than 20 million people are affected, mainly in urban areas. Prevalence in the region ranges from 25-35 percent in adults aged 25-64 years and studies show a clear relationship between the level of blood pressure, salt and fat consumption, and body weight.
 
      Rheumatic heart disease is the most important form of acquired CVD in children and adolescents, with a prevalence rate of 15-20 per 1,000 people. Of the 18 million people currently affected, two thirds are children between five and 15 years and there are around 300,000 deaths each year.
 
      Regional director Dr. Luis Sambo blames the growing threat of these leading killers in the region on changing lifestyles.
 
      “These changes include widespread tobacco, substance and alcohol use and abuse, reduced physical activity and consumption of diets rich in salt, sugar and fat, among others,” he says.
 
     “These risk factors, along with mental and neurological disorders, are conspiring with injuries and violence to overstretch the fragile and already overburdened health systems in the African region…Rapid androbust interventions are all we need to diffuse this ticking time bomb.”
 
     According to Dr. Paul-Samson Lusamba-Dikassa, preventing and delaying illness and death from chronic NCDs is possible.
 
     At least 80 percent of all premature CVD and type 2 diabetes and over 40 percent of cancer could be avoided through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use, he says.(END)
By Tansa Musa

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API

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Egyptian, Gabonese foreign minister discuss cooperation

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

The Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Thursday held talks with his Gabonese counterpart, Mrs. Laura Konditjo in Cairo.

According to the spokesman of the Egyptian Foreign ministry, Hossam Zaki, the main objective of the visit of the Gabonese Foreign Minister was to discuss bilateral cooperation frameworks in the areas of development in different areas, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, building construction and civil aviation.

Zaki pointed out that Gabon is being initiated in the implementation of giant projects in the area of construction, in preparation for hosting the African Nations Cup in 2012.

For its part, the Gabonese Foreign Minister expressed Gabon’s interest to benefit from Egyptian expertise in the field of civil aviation, information technology, and telecommunications and cement industries.

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API/Source.apa

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Italy to award AU Commissioner decoration of grand officer

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

Italy will officially award on Friday, the chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Jean Ping the decoration of Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, APA learnt on Thursday.
The award – the first of its kind – will be given to Ping by the Italian Secretary of State, Senator Alfredo Mantica, who is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the inaugural re-erection ceremony of the Axum obelisk.

According to a press release issued here by the AU, the award is in recognition of Jean Ping’s great achievements in his distinguished 35 year career in government and the international arena, marked by several diplomatic successes to restore peace and stability in Central Africa, in particular in Congo, Chad, Central African Republic and Sao Tomé and Principe.

Ping was elected chairperson of the AU Commission during the last January summit in Addis Ababa.

He served as Gabonese Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, Francophonie and Regional Integration.

He was the president of the 59th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (2004-2005).

The Order of Merit is the highest order of Italy.

It recognizes distinguished achievements and services to the Italian Republic performed in the fields of arts, literature, economics, or in carrying out functions in public offices, military and civil careers and in commitment to philanthropic and humanitarian purposes.

The award is expected to be officially given to Ping in the presence of the international community in Ethiopia.

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API/Source.apa

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Commonwealth Parliamentary Association visits Malawi

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

 three-man delegation from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), a UK-based organisation which works to support good govervance, democracy and human rights, is in the country on a week long visit.

According to the delegation leader Ian Davison here Thursday, the CPA visit will strengthen ties between Malawi and Britain.

\”We would like to discuss with local people on a number of issues, including various developmental projects implemented by government and the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Plan Malawi if their work benefited Malawians,\” he said.

While in the country, the delegation is expected to meet government officials, non-governmental organisations and will also visit election registration centres in parts of the Malawi capital Lilongwe to see how the exercise for the 2009 general elections was being conducted.

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Published by Chief Editor Korir, African Press International – api/ Source.apa

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Burkina Faso reshuffles cabinet: Yet another African country with a very large cabinet following Kenya’s example

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

Six new ministers have entered the government of Burkina Faso in the wake of a reshuffle while others shifted portfolios, according to a decree that has been released.

The newcomers include Seydou Kabore, minister of infrastructures and development who replaces Hyppolite Lingani whereas Col. Emile Ouedraogo holds the Security department.

Another new minister, Noel Kabore, of Post services and telecommunication and Marie Therese Keita, the single female cabinet member, is vice-minister of budget.

Alain Bedouma Yoda, previously senior minister of Health becomes senior minister of Foreign affairs and regional cooperation, leaving his former department to Seydou Bouda who was the minister of Civil service and Reform of the State.

The 34-sized cabinet remained unchanged.

The cabinet is as follows:

- Prime Minister: Tertius Zongo
- Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs and regional Cooperation: Alain B. YODA
- Minister of Agriculture, Hydraulics, and fishery resources: Laurent SEDEGO
- Minister of Economy and Finance: Lucien Marie Noël BEMBAMBA
- Minister of Justice, Attorney general: Zakalia KOTE
- Minister of Defence: Yero BOLY
- Minister of Health: Seydou BOUDA
- Minister of Transport: Gilbert N. OUEDRAOGO
- Minister of Territorial administration and Decentralisation: Clement P. SAWADOGO
- Minister of Infrastructures and Opening-up: Seydou KABORE
- Minister of Quarry mines and Energy: Abdoulaye Abdoul Kader CISSE
- Minister of Culture, Tourism, and communication, Spokesman of the Government: Filippe SAVADOGO
- Minister of Security: Emile OUEDRAOGO
- Minister of Environment and living environment: Salifou SAWADOGO
- Minister of Tertiary and secondary education, and scientific research: Joseph PARE
- Minister of Basic Education and literacy: Marie Odile BONKOUNGOU BALIMA
- Minister of Trade for the promotion of enterprises and craft industries: Mamadou SANOU
- Minister of Civil service and State Reform: Soungalo OUATTARA
- Minister of Labour and Social welfare: Jerome Bougouma
- Minister, Mission officer to the President of Faso, in charge of Analysis and Prospect: Gueda Jacques OUEDRAOGO
- Minister of Youth and Employment: Justin KOUTABA
- Minister of Social policy and national solidarity: Pascaline TAMINI BIHOUN
- Minister of Animal Resources: Sekou BA
- Minister for the promotion of Human Rights: Salamata SAWADOGO
- Minister of Post services and Information and communication technologies: Noël KABORE
- Minister of Women Empowerment: Celine M. YODA
- Minister of Housing and town planning: Vincent T. DABILGOU
- Minister of Sports and Leisure: Mori Aldjouma Jean Pierre PALM
- Minister of Relations with Parliament: Tibo alias Cecile BELOUM OUEDRAOGO
- Vice-minister for the Budget attached to the Economy and Finance minister: Marie Therese DRABO – KEITA
- Vice-minister for regional cooperation attached to the Foreign Affairs and regional Cooperation minister: Minata SAMATE
- Vice-minister for territorial communities attached to the Territorial administration and Decentralisation minister: Toussaint Abel COULIBALY
- Vice-minister for Agriculture attached to the Agriculture, Hydraulics, and fishery resources minister: Abdoulaye COMBARY
- Vice-minister for literacy and unofficial education attached to the Basic Education and literacy minister: Ousséni TAMBOURA
- Vice-minister for technical education and vocational training attached to the Tertiary and secondary education, and scientific research minister: Maxime SOME.

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Published by Chief Editor Korir, African Press International – API/ Source.APA

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How loyalty cards make you a bigger spender

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

Shoppers are unaware that when their cards are swiped at the till to award them points, their spending profiles are taken and used for marketing. Photo/ WILLIAM OERI  

By JEVANS NYABIAGE,

In Summary

  • Supermarkets have more than a few tricks in pushing high-margin products.
  • Smart card is giving supermarkets and other shopping outlets important information.

Forbes magazine recently reported that a retail chain put all its checkout counter data into a giant digital warehouse and set the disk drives spinning.

What popped out was a most unexpected correlation: sales of diapers and beer. Young fathers, it showed, would make a late-night run to the store to pick up pampers and get some Bud Light while they were there.

The magazine says the store, capitalising on the discovery, placed these disparate items together — and sales zoomed. Businesses have got tonnes of transactions data which, if they analyse, would give wonderful insights into shopping trends and customer preferences.

The supermarkets have more than a few tricks in pushing high-margin products. The one that irks the most is spreading products out across a wall so you have to search to find what you want.

Meanwhile, the products they want you to buy are smack in front of your face. Did you know that every time you buy something your shopping habits are tracked? Then what comes out is a report on what you like about as you shop.

Your smart card, or signing to loyalty schemes, is giving supermarkets and other shopping outlets that important information.

It sounds good — loyalty cards entitle us to freebies or cash simply for shopping. Of course, retailers get something in return: a heap of information about us we might prefer them not to know. That’s before they get started on the new tags that track you and what you buy.
Last week someone received a call from one of the banks in the country enticing him buy into their products. But one critical question is, where do banks get these contacts?

It has been said that smart cards are an avenue through which this information can be accessed. This idea is driving many banks to sign up agreements with retail chains so they can be able to accesses such information.

Every time you reach the checkout in bigger supermarket chains, it’s the same question: do you have a smart card? It can get irritating, but nonetheless we have willingly signed up to their reward schemes in droves.

Many have accepted the membership rules of these innocent-looking, points-mean-prizes clubs: you show us some loyalty, say the retailers, and we will give you nice bonuses in return.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Kenya branch chairman Andrew Mutuma says loyalty, on the face of it, is based on how much you spend with one particular retailer. Besides, in Kenya we love bargains, and getting something for nothing even more.

But the question is: how much does the nothing really cost? It is not simply a matter of choosing to be “loyal”, now synonymous with “open your wallet”, to one supermarket over another — the cost is in having your purchases scrutinised and analysed in staggering detail by the loyalty card retailers.

“You’d be surprised what they can do with a seemingly innocent flow of till receipts, coupled with your loyalty card.

Having accepted the principles of these schemes, we have paved the way for the kind of surveillance technology that will turn your stomach once you realise that it is happening in real time and not in some implausible, futuristic film,” Mr Mutuma says.

More fool them, you might think, as you cash in points to redeem all manner of tempting handouts. There is no catch or con to the mechanics of loyalty reward schemes.

Nakumatt, for example, gives you a point worth Sh2 for every Sh100 you spend, which you receive once you hit some considerable points.

On the surface, loyalty cards get you to increase — or “consolidate”, as the marketing people say — your spend in one store. Given the choice between two stores, we are more likely to shop at the one where we earn rewards.

Behind this visible profit benefit lies the genius purpose of these schemes. Then retailers have found a way to scrutinise the shopper – not as a generic mass but as an individual.

Consider the detailed information that every loyalty card user volunteers to the store. Mr Mutuma says each swipe of the card sends your spend — what you bought, where and how you paid for it — into a databank profile of your purchase history, along with the personal information you gave when you signed up for the card.

Some, their application form will have asked you for your employment status, number of children, spectacles or contact lens usage and, if you are pregnant, when your baby is due.

Others, meanwhile, ask how many people live in your house, the ages of those under 18, the number of cars you have and your total household mileage. With such information on your spending behaviour other businesses are getting such information to target you for their products.

Now we have a busy industry of data-miners looking at your profile to glean specific observations on how you like to buy. Loyalty card users enjoy discounted prices, special coupon offers, and rebates or “points” towards shopping sprees, much like credit cards.

Many users consider the idea of targeted marketing a boon — if they like one kind of product, why wouldn’t they want to get offers for similar products?

Details of loyalty points and the point-gaining transactions are being captured by a stand-alone card terminal and transferred to a PC or a back-end server for further analysis.

The loyalty software maintains a complete database of all customer rewards and reward suppliers.

It’s not an unreasonable concern that customers’ buying profiles will be as vulnerable to fraud and misuse as their credit card numbers, particularly if the third-party companies practice lax security measures.

The Kenya Alliance of Resident Associations CEO Stephen Mutoro says that the proliferation of such schemes not only by supermarkets but also other shopping outlets should be investigated.

“The right to privacy must be observed. When they disclose their customers’ profile to a third-party that puts their security at risk,” he says.
Mr Mutoro says that to protect consumers, the government must investigate and authenticate such programmes and those found contravening the right to privacy their activities should be revoked.

“This is fraud, when they give my details to other parties they must be getting some privileges from them. This might be a big scandal that they use to make extra cash from the consumers’ ignorance,” he says.

Apart from monitoring your buying behaviour another form that businesses use to boost their profits while building customer loyalty are by the use of loyalty cards.

Marketing experts say that brand loyalty is the biggest driver of sales. Studies show that loyalty cards are one of the most cost effective ways to build brand loyalty and improve customer retention.

Major retail and supermarket chains use loyalty cards as a vital tool to improve profitability, but you don’t need to be a national high street store to run a profitable reward card scheme.

Mr Mutuma says loyalty solutions and the advantages and rewards that they offer help retailers increase frequency of store visits and increase spending while also retaining and encouraging loyalty from existing customers.

Nakumatt has loyalty card known as Cybercash card started in 2001 and was intended to operate as a debit card. It was later re-created in 2003 as a cash discount card under a customers reward programme as a way of rewarding its loyal customers.

A manager with Nakumatt says that shoppers are promised goods for value against points, discounts with service providers, random surprise or birthday, off-peak time double points and redemption of points for cash and gift vouchers.

“During school opening period, we target our customers by allowing them redeem double their points for school fees and shopping. You remember the promotion we had at Nakumatt Junction where we were selling our products half price? We gave our special loyal clients the first priority,” the manager says.

Tuskys has the Magicpay rewards scheme in which consumers redeem accumulated points for shopping. Just like Nakumatt for every Sh100 used, one gets one point which can be redeemed for Sh2. Uchumi has the U Club card and Ukwala too launched its loyalty card recently.

Mobile phone companies have mastered the art of retaining their subscribers by introducing schemes to award loyal customers. A good example is a service by Safaricom known as Bonga Points in which for every Sh50 airtime used one gets 10 points, which can be redeemed when they reach 200 points.

In this scheme a subscriber who has 300 points can redeem four free talking minutes or 12 free SMSes, while for 200 points one is able to get eight free SMS.

Zain has a programme in which its subscribers are able to call for Sh65 the whole day. Family TV members get discounts to shop at some specific outlets.

Reward and Recognition (R&R), a company dealing in loyalty schemes, has an arrangement with Uchumi supermarkets (U Club card), Sarova hotels, Concorde car hire, ToyWorld, DHL, CAT, Acacia Apotheke Two Ltd, BP and Shell where card holders get one point for every Sh100 spent.

R&R says that as a policy no information of customers is shared with third parties but notes that the question of companies tracking consumer shopping behaviour is normal and assists in designing appropriate products.

In a move to attract customers car dealer, Marshalls East Africa, early this year launched a value-added service for its customers. Called the Privilege Club, it is free and customers enjoy fixed price on parts and labour, and diagnosis of mechanical breakdowns.

Managing Director Marshalls East Africa, Nguvi Kitau, said: “Customers will get a card on which they earn points which can be redeemed for any services as discount in any of our branches countrywide.”

Some of the supermarket chains our team spoke to said that apart from rewarding their customers, the loyalty scheme helps them with the pool of information on which they can appropriately target their clients with the best services or products.

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API/Source.nation.ke

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Kenya: Union of Teachers boss retires

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

KNUT Sec Gen Ng’ang’a retires

Written By:Sophie Mwangi 

Caption: Ng’ang’a (right) has served the giant teachers’ union for over three decades. Sitting to his left is Mr Chirchir

Long serving Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) Secretary General Francis N’gang’a has retired serving union for over three decades.

His deputy, Lawrence Majali will assume office in an acting capacity until fresh elections are held.

Announcing his retirement Nganga said though he had accomplished some milestones during his tenure, he would continue to be actively involved in fighting for teachers’ rights even in retirement. 

The union officials led by National Chairman George Wesonga and the deputy secretary general commended Nganga for his leadership. The officials said Ng’ang’a had shown a lot of commitment in his service at the union.

Nganga was the third Secretary General of the Kenya National Union of Teachers since its formation in 1956.

He joined the union in 1977 as a branch executive committee member of Nairobi KNUT branch.

He was later elevated to the post of Nairobi branch secretary general where he served for ten years.

He was elected the national KNUT Secretary General in 2001 after the death of the then Secretary General Ambrose Adongo and later re elected in 2006.

Ng’ang’a will be greatly remembered for heading the longest teachers strike in the Kenyan history in 2002.

A vocal and fiery official of the KNUT, Nganga will perhaps be associated more with pushing for better terms for teachers through strikes than anything else.

One of his greatest achievements was successfully fighting for the promotion of 78, 000 teachers.

His deputy Lawrence Majali promised to continue the fight against the proposed signing of performance contracts and push for better pay packages for teachers.

————-

API/Source.kbc.ke

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The courts handle the laws passed by parliament, therefore cases before courts may be taken up in parliamentary sessions if need be

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

Parliament to discuss matters before court

Written By:Daniel Waitere 

Caption: Parliament is amending its rules of procedure that will see radical changes in the way it conducts business

Cabinet ministers will be compelled to shed more light into matters before court if required to do so by parliament once the amended parliamentary standing orders come into effect.

According to the House speaker Kenneth Marende the move is geared at enhancing accountability and will not be in conflict with the judiciary.

Parliament is in the process of amending its rules of procedure that will see radical changes in the way the House transacts business.

One of the most radical changes will see members discuss matters before the judiciary.

However this has not been without contest with some members arguing that it would amount to sub judice or contempt of court.

But House speaker Kenneth Marende says the move is meant to compel government represeantives to shed light into the cases without preempting the outcome.

The speaker observed that Parliament is the supreme law making organ and that the judiciary interprets the law and as such, the judiciary has an obligation to adhere to the law

Marende also insisted that judges must sign performance contracts since they are accountable to the public.

Marende was speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Rotary Club of Nairobi where he was chief guest.

—————-

Published by API/Source.kbc.ke

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Ruto’s tough stance on sugar industry earns him praise

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

 Business News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo (left)

 

The firm stand taken by the Minister for Agriculture William Ruto when he distanced  himself from clans that his Ministry is involved in a plan to clear 8,440 toes of imported sugar held at the Kenyan coastal port city of Mombasa is in the best interests of both sugar manufacturers and cane farmers.

 

It is indeed a bold step in the right direction which will save Kenyan workers in the sugar industry sub-sector of the economy.

 

Local sugar millers had came out fire spitting against a plan hatched by the Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) which had sought for the authority to clear thousands of tones of imported sugar held at the port Mombasa.

 

The take xxxxxx xxxxxxx the artificial sugar shortage was raised by the acting CEO of the KSB Ms Rosemary Mkok who had said that the imports would bridge an expected national shortfall. Her claims were immediately refuted by members of the sugar manufacturers body {KESMA}

 

The  CEO had said “In view of the low sugar stockpiles held by local companies, we recommend that the above tabulated imports, for which proper documentation has been submitted, be cleared for release” the KSB’s CEO said in a letter to the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture Dr Romano Kiome. The letter is dated August 22, 2008.

 

But the stakeholders in the sugar industry and business have smelt a rat suspecting that some top official at the KCB are already been compromised by some unscrupulous sugar barons, who in the past, have turned the sugar industry their “milking cow”

 

The racketeers have corruptively found their way through the KCB as has been the case in the past. These racketeers are also known to be using unpatriotic politicians in top positions within the government in their lust for fat money, thereby undermining all the concerted effort to resuscitate the ailing sugar industry. .

 

 Previously the unscrupulous sugar barons have collaborated well with unpatriotic board members and officials .For along time these people have had  partners within the KCB and are said to have made huge profits at the expense of poor cane farmers and workers in the industry by way of sales of cheap imported sugar from foreign sources.

 

In her letter Ms Mkok had listed seven companies whose imported sugar is a waiting clearance at the port. This requests just came out shameless two months after the Minister had cancelled the licenses of close to 100 sugar importers and exporters in a highly sensitized highlighted measures.

 

Those listed by the acting CEO include Mat International, which is seeking license to  establish its own new sugar factory in Lamu district. Other are Wrigley, Mshale Commodities, Rift Valley Bottlers and Equator Bottlers , Patco Company and Mzuri .

The acting CEO had said that the sugar stock were inadequate because a number of sugar companies had closed down their operations for annual mechanical maintenance.

 

These claims were immediately dismissed as misleading. Te sugar manufacturers reaffirm to the nation that they had adequate stock to cater for the domestic demand.

 

The six million questions being asked is that;- “Who is fooling who. Must the KCB perennially stuck to the same reasoning year after years, particularly whenever the racketeers and profiteers want to bring sugar imports into the country. . The sugar manufactured in foreign countries usually disrupt the internal marketing system.

 

The commodities also hurt the economy because the local factories always declare the workers redundants, while at the same time foreign workers keeps their jobs uninterrupted

 

But her claim were immediately refuted by sugar millers whose said they had adequate stock to gather for the domestic demand

 

The Kenya Association of Sugar Millers vice Chairman Dr Evans Kidero dismissed the KSB claim that the country was facing and imminent acute sugar shortage arguing KSB’s information to the Ministry was misleading and inaccurate. It amounted to bring in cheap sugar imports in to  the local market, yet local millers had enough commodity in stock.

 

The sharp differences in figure given by the KSB and those given by the manufacturers were a clear indication that all are not well at the sugar regulating body (KSB), and therefore this boar needs  a radical surgery and drastic changes. Some of the KSB top brass officials are suspiciously acting at the behest of wheeler-dealers at   the whims of unscrupulous and wealthy sugar barons..

 

The government must also act with speed to eliminate the number of power-brokers who are known to be working in cahoots with some corrupt sugar bosses.

 

It could be remembered that before they closed for a month long stoppage, for the annual maintenance. Both  Sony and Nzoia factories had reported having tones of made sugar in excess of normal  stock.

 

KSB is also aware that some of the sugar factories are lagging behind in payment of arrears to the sugar farmers for their raw material delivered, crushed and sold ,which is reportedly running into several months. The millers a had reported to told the farmers that this was caused by poor internal marketing system. Some millers had reported only a couple of weeks ago of having huge stockpiles of unsold  and sugar in their stores, causing the delay in  payment of arrears to farmers. To be more specific, SONY Sugar has yet to clear all the payment arrears to the farmer from April this year.

 

Physical check on the ground revealed that Sonny and Nzoia Sugar companies reopened recently after three weeks annual service and maintenance while Mumias had closed only for less than a week. Dr. Kidero who is also the managing director of Mumias Sugar Company and vice chairman of the manufacturers body is credible as an authority on the goings within the industry. KSB therefore need to device new methods of assisting its unscrupulous partners in a manner that it could look rather logical rather than casually way of handling this high sensitive matter of life and death to the suffering poor cane farmers.

 

A section of Large and small scale cane farmers interviewed by this writer in the Nyanza sugarbelt in Kisumu, Nandi, Nyando and Rongo Districts are very thankful to Mr. Ruto but they urged the Minister to clean up all “Cobwebs” and rotten eggs within the KSB sugar sub-sector of the economy. .

 

The Minister had made it clear that he was in the process of reviving the sugar sub-sector of the economy and could therefore not at the same time be a party to actions likely to reverse the on going reforms “Who is bring my name to all this? I have said repeatedly that I want to bring the reforms in the sugar industry  and  I can be the one killing the same industry, ”  The member who was coated in the one of the local media houses has haven’t said this in reaction to KSB claim.

 

The Minister further categorically denied he was involved in the selection of the seven importance who the Kenya Sugar Board (KSB) once there cargo cleared.

 

Millers have also reacted angrily accusing the KSB for allegedly acting  the behest of the sugar bureaus and importance how to sabotages the local sugar factory.

 

Two months ago after officially concelling the licenses of close to twenty or more sugar importers and exporters, Ruto had led a team of  government officers who visited the port of Mombasa  and destroyed about forty thousand tones of illegally imported sugar into the country. This action should have served has a deterrent to warning to pseudo traders and their  collaborators as the one step  and action for the Minister to get rid of corrupt official within his backyard, particularly within the KSB itself.

 

The Minister action is supporting millers who are opposed by the move by the KSB to have the sugar imports held at port cleared.

 

Both millers and farmers organization have urged Ruto to speed up implementation of the new rules which are aimed at safeguarding the local sugar industries from cheap imports.

 

The Minister on is point as urged the local miller to reduce the cost of production so as to be competitive in the COMESA region.

 

For the government to effectively resuscitate the ailing sugar industry it has to get to the root cause of corruptive practices at the KSB which it is being alleged still stinging in corruption and multi-practices.

 

The KSB CEO Andrew Otieno is still serving indefinite suspension is allegedly under investigation by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission sleuths for abuse of the office and could possible face criminal charges in the near future.

 

Few lack board members who had served it before had come out swimming in ill-gotten s money and become overnight millionaires. These practices must come to an end if the government is truly hell bent on reviving the sugar industry and save the life of thousands of poor sugarcane farmers who have to wait for months before being pay her harvested crops.

 

ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

 

————

 

API

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Why every person of African descent should learn more about Dr. Edward Bernays

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

” If we understand the mechanism and motives of a group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it”  — Dr. Edward Bernays
                                 
   The present despairing state of Black America is neither a baffling phenomenon, nor the result of some innate racial deficiency among Blacks, but rather instead the result of the White elite’s innate proclivity for always reinventing devious methods of  suppressing its Black population– as a means of maintaining its white dominance and control. The architect of the modern method of suppression now used against Black America was the late Dr. Edward Bernays.
 
 
 
Dr. Edward Bernay’s was a nephew of Sigmund Freud and one of the most skillful experts in mass manipulation.  He invented the modern day Madison Avenue advertising Agencies by using his Uncle Sigmund’s knowledge of the human psyche to make people feel they needed whatever product was being advertised. Edward Bernays also invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud’s ideas to manipulate the masses. Bernays was one of the main architects of the modern techniques of mass-consumer persuasion. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn’t need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.
 
 
You’ve Come a Long Way Baby!
  
His most notorious feat was breaking the taboo on women smoking by persuading them that cigarettes were a symbol of independence and freedom. Bernays was convinced that this mass method of manipulation was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. For him it was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle, Sigmund Freud, had identified, people could be made happy, docile, angry, self hating or even confused.
 
During World War I, Bernays and journalist Walter Lippman were hired by then United States President, Woodrow Wilson, to participate in the Creel Commission, the mission of which was to sway popular opinion in favor of entering the war, on the side of Britain. The war propaganda campaign of Bernays and Lippman produced such an intense anti-German hysteria as to permanently impress America’s governmental elites with the potential of large-scale propaganda to control public opinion. Edward Bernays advised US presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Eisenhower and served numerous corporations and business associations. This was the start of the mass media and governmental psychological manipulation programs which has come to covertly dominate today’s world. One of Bernays biggest fans was Hitler’s propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels, a fact about which Bernays bragged proudly.  A common pattern used repeatedly by Bernays was to turn a harmless entity into a fearsome enemy through lies and manufactured news items. Then use the “threat” to justify attacking the entity. Edward Bernays coined the terms “group mind” and “engineering consent”, important concepts in practical propaganda work. Bernays said in his 1928 book Propaganda, that; “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. He further states that; “If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it” The current public relations industry is a direct outgrowth of Bernays’ work and his method of mass psychological manipulation is also still currently used by the United States government.
 
The U.S. Government has an extensive history of conducting planned campaigns of extensive strategic psychological operations [based upon the works of Benays] through the national media to influence and direct the perception and climate of the nation towards its governmental objectives. Given that the nineteen sixties were a period of massive black rebellion and unrest that eroded the American global image and increasingly placed the nation’s peace and stability in dire jeopardy and perhaps most particularly because the nations top sociologist and psychologist knew that those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. This quite logically necessitated that the U.S. Government employ these same proven methods of mass psychological manipulation against its entire African American population.
The U.S. Government now secretly deliberately disseminates false deplorably racially devaluing statistics and propaganda about its Black population that are deliberately designed to adversely manipulate and shape the minds and collective consciousness of its African American population– corrupting African Americans sense of unity, cohesion, and reason– and fostering a consensual national environment  of where in which its Black population is more easily divided, exploited and ultimately suppressed.
 
When most people hear the term of psychological manipulation they usually think in terms of the classic “conspiracy theory” that refers to overt mind control such as mind altering drugs with carefully hypnotic programming. However, the real and true dangers are Bernays well proven methods of affecting the unconscious mind by using deception, and psychological manipulation. It is neither magical nor mystical, but a process that involves a set of basic social psychological principles.  The constant relentless bombardment with deplorably negative images of themselves that of which African Americans are so inundated with, through a white controlled media, is a very carefully and deliberately designed psychological conditioning program. Its unrelenting daily assault on the Black psyche is designed to corrupt African Americans’ sense of racial unity and cohesion, mold the character of self-hatred, engender self-doubt, self-loathing, and distrust among their group. And while insinuating that Blacks admire, respect, and trust only Whites.  
This method of psychological manipulation works by affecting the unconscious mind through deception. It uses the psychology of deceit to adversely affect the recipient group in terms of their behavior. Here is a simplified example of how this is being implemented against African Americans.  Let us, for example, imagine that a crew of people was aboard their own massive ship and that this ship was being shadowed by another neighboring ship that was constantly broadcasting derogatory messages to the first group. Such messages as that their ship was lesser, smaller, not seaworthy, perhaps slowly sinking or that their crew was incompetent and was planning a mutiny.  With time, the group receiving the negative messages, being unable to refute or to confirm these derogatory messages and deficiencies will grow weary and paranoid of the negative messages and will eventually comes to accept these negative assessments of themselves. The perception created by the taunting now unconsciously influences how the taunted group perceives themselves, subsequently causing them to become distrustful of themselves, doubting themselves, hating themselves and, eventually, fighting among themselves. The taunted group may even become so besieged by deep feelings of inadequacy that they may even jump into the sea and attempt to swim towards the taunting ship now believing it to be superior to their own ship even if their own ship was in fact better. The basis of this concept of mind manipulation is that the human being’s most critical aspect is the mind and it works by affecting the mind through deception.
Within a real life setting this mortifying psychosocial treatment is precisely what is being deliberately done to African Americans through corporate owned and governmentally controlled media outlets that deliberately subjected them to seeing only the fraudulently worst in themselves. This is done through an immense campaign of false derogatory misinformation and false negative media reports and statistics that are created by U.S. governmental agencies and then leaked to its collaborators in the news media, which either knowingly or unknowingly carry the stories as their own. These false information about African Americans are then disseminated unrelentingly everywhere; it is deliberately perpetuated through news releases in magazine articles, radio, television, press releases, documentaries, and false census reports perpetuating and framing the myth of Whites’ racial, moral, and ethical superiority over its Black population. However, the weapon is not in how the message is carried, but is instead within the messages that it carries and how these messages detrimentally affects the Black population at large.
The overrepresentation of Black crimes and grossly exaggerated statistics of Black on Black violence within this psychosocial program are intentionally designed to create fear, hatred, and distrust thus molding the character of disunity and self-hatred among the Black community.  [Black’s own personal negative experiences and interactions with their fellow Blacks then merely confirm the program’s perpetuated message that it is they that are their own worst enemies]. The ultimately goal of this governmental psychosocial treatment of African Americans is to destroy the Black unity and cohesion that was historically the cornerstone of civil rights gains and that was a crucial factor of the survival of African Americans through more than four hundred years of racial oppression. [Logic dictates that given that unity and cohesion among African Americans was responsible for the demise of White America’s past system of blatant, institutionalized racism, then destroying this unity would be an essential objective of this psychological manipulation program.]
 
All African Americans have experienced the burden of this system of applied psychological conditioning, some more severely than others have.  It is experienced every time we [Blacks] read a newspaper, watch the evening news, listen to a radio report, enter a classroom and read its racially biased textbooks.  To the detriment of many African Americans, it has been an extremely effective. It has successfully conditioned many African Americans to accept the dominance of Whites and white institutions over their lives by misleading them to believe that they are, themselves, their own worst enemies, therefore engendering an aberration of internalized self contempt that pulverizes Black unity and halts Black upward mobility. It is at the root of both the profound division and self hatred now afflicting so many Black Americans and is at the heart of internalized feelings of superiority that many whites possess.
And while many African Americans have successfully navigated through this psychologically mortifying mine field and have gone on to lead successful, productive lives, for far too many this immense devaluation can seem inescapable and tragically, over time, many begin to accept subconsciously and painfully the negative portrayals of themselves. Many also become discouraged by the acceptance that their society is also preconditioned to see the worst in them and that, therefore, if they were ever to gain acceptance, if it is to be won at all, that success would be hard won. This in turn manifests negative internalized psychological pain and distress within many African Americans that can take many forms.
In fact, this governmental mortifying psychosocial treatment of African Americans may be the most aggravating, if not core, factor of the national phenomenon of self hatred; loss of educational aspirations; loss of unity, cohesion and racial pride; and fragile psyches of many African Americans today. It is in fact so fundamentally detrimental to the Black human condition and psyche that it may even affect the extent to which many African Americans realize their full human potential. This type of psychological manipulation program has also been proven very effective in rapidly destroying a group’s ethical and moral values and engendering negative cultural norms with regard to violence, brutality, and even murder. All people, to some degree, are products of cultural conditions and their worldviews operate outside of their level of consciousness. Therefore, no group can be preconditioned to see only the worst in themselves and not exhibit some degree of negative psychological impact.
 Not only does this massive governmental psychological manipulation campaign negatively impacts Blacks self perceptions, but it also provides a more socially acceptable way to assure that the masses of African Americans remains the most racially devalued and most economical exploited and suppressed group in America.         The media’s constant, fraudulently inaccurate, negative imagery of Black Americans is designed also to create a shift of victimization that changes the root problem of racism in America to be due to Black’s behavior rather than White’s proclivity for racism. Therefore insinuates that America would be a better society as a whole if African Americans were gone, thus engendering increasingly prejudiced distorted perceptions and acrimonious beliefs about African Americans that are designed to makes the nation and the entire world insensitive to their plight, tranquilizes efforts on their behalf, lessens pressure for social change on their behalf, and makes any serious criticism of White racism almost impossible today. Therefore fostering a national setting of where in which Blacks are more easily exploited and ultimately consensually suppressed. Moreover, some studies have shown that this shift of victimization now reflects increasingly acrimonious beliefs and prejudiced perceptions about and against African Americans that are arguably stronger today than they were after emancipation.
 This campaign also attempts to discourage miscegenation between Blacks and whites, and creates a false justification for the legal system’s mistreatment of African Americans wherein they are disproportionately incarcerated, given stiffer sentences, and are more likely than other racial groups to be treated brutally, beaten, and fired upon by police officers while they are unarmed. These injustices now goes ignored because the perception has subconsciously become that it’s all now justified.  When contempt of Blacks is made to appear to be justifiable, it is the fiercest and most effective type of racism because its witnesses, bystanders, and even world audiences will sit by idly allowing African Americans to be brutally mistreated under the belief that it is justified.  This is what Dr. Edward Bernays referred to as “engineering consent”.
 
This governmental psychological conditioning program stripped African Americans of the national and international support that was acquired during the 1960’s civil rights struggles. It also today affects attitudes that when enacted through governmental policies, laws, and other legislation actions, serve to ensure that African Americans will not advance. Its effects are manifested in ideas, education, governmental policies, economic stratification, social segregation, housing markets, hiring and promotion practices, psychological issues, and minority access to a variety of social services and opportunity.
 

In order for we African Americans to overcome the profound feelings of hopelessness, confusion, and self hatred that still overwhelmingly plagues millions within our communities, we must synergized our energies and efforts towards countering the effects of the United State’s ongoing governmental mass media psychosocial treatment of us that is deliberately designed to render such disunity and confusion among our race as a means of ensuring that its white dominance and control is maintained.

The objective of the United States government has always been to maintain its White dominance and control over its Black population, and clearly, psychological warfare meets this need. It was the logical choice because it covertly provided the U.S. Government with a far more sophisticated, proficient, and socially accepted means of covertly controlling and suppressing its Black population. Through this method the U.S. Government is able to both influence the national climate and engender personal psychological feelings among its Black population that meet its objectives of maintaining its white dominance.  Furthermore, history overwhelmingly demonstrates that the White race’s innate proclivity for racism, control, and dominance is much too deeply ingrained for them to just merely give up their practices of implementing suppressive methods over its African American population. The records of history show that the reincarnation of suppressive methods into forms more acceptable to the changing times is a common practice of the United States government.

 
As seen after the abolishment of slavery wherein its methods of using racist, oppressive treatment of its Black population was reincarnated into Jim Crow inequalities that included many devious strategies and methods that prevented Blacks from becoming registered voters.  And let us not forget the horrific Tuskegee experiments where of in which from1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conducted dangerous syphilis experiments on four hundred Black men. These men were deliberately left to degenerate painfully under the ravishes of the disease – with symptoms including blindness, tumors, paralysis, insanity and death – to allow the U.S. Government to collect the needed data from their autopsies.  And let us also not forget of the CIA’s involvement in flooding the Black communities of Los Angeles with drugs and high powered weaponry and then disseminated these drugs and weaponry to many African American communities throughout the United States destroying the lives of millions of African Americans while stimulating the economy through the prison industry. The historic and demonstrative evidence overwhelmingly reflects the reality that the U.S. government does manifest a proclivity for reinventing devious methods to suppress its Black population. This proclivity has led to the U.S. Government using its proven method of mass psychological manipulation to control the advancement and growth of its Black population.  It was the next logical choice because the evils of racism thrives best when its victims no longer recognizes the evil. 
 
“When the truth comes along and you know in your bones that it’s the truth yet you still refuse to accept and defend it you then really begin to die.”
 
THE BLACK MATRIX:
THE MODERN CONTINUED MENTAL AND SOCIAL SUPPRESSION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS UNDER NATIONAL INTEREST © 2006, 2008
by Franklin G. Jones
 
 
 “Our lives began to end when we stopped speaking up for the things that matter”
                                                                           — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
———————-
Posted to API by F. Jones
Published by Korir, Chief Editor African Press International – API

Posted in AA > News and News analysis | Leave a Comment »

The secret kept from [most of ] Black America!

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

The present despairing state of Black America is neither a baffling phenomenon nor the result of some innate deficient capacity among Blacks , but rather instead the result of the White elite’s innate proclivity for reinventing devious methods of suppressing its Black population – as a means of maintaining its white dominance and control.  Dr. Edward Bernays is the architect of the modern method of suppression now used against Black America.

 
Dr. Edward Bernay’s was a nephew of Sigmund Freud and one of the most skillful experts in mass manipulation.  He invented the modern day Madison Avenue advertising Agencies by using his Uncle Sigmund’s knowledge of the human psyche to make people feel they needed whatever product was being advertised. Edward Bernays also invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud’s ideas to manipulate the masses. Bernays was one of the main architects of the modern techniques of mass-consumer persuasion. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn’t need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.  
His most notorious feat was breaking the taboo on women smoking by persuading them that cigarettes were a symbol of independence and freedom. Bernays was convinced that this mass method of manipulation was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. For him it was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle, Sigmund Freud, had identified, people could be made happy, docile, angry, self hating or even confused.
 
During World War I, Bernays and journalist Walter Lippman were hired by then United States President, Woodrow Wilson, to participate in the Creel Commission, the mission of which was to sway popular opinion in favor of entering the war, on the side of Britain. The war propaganda campaign of Bernays and Lippman produced such an intense anti-German hysteria as to permanently impress America’s governmental elites with the potential of large-scale propaganda to control public opinion. Edward Bernays advised US presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Eisenhower and served numerous corporations and business associations. This was the start of the mass media and governmental psychological manipulation programs which has come to covertly dominate today’s world. One of Bernays biggest fans was Hitler’s propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels, a fact about which Bernays bragged proudly.  A common pattern used repeatedly by Bernays was to turn a harmless entity into a fearsome enemy through lies and manufactured news items. Then use the “threat” to justify attacking the entity. Edward Bernays coined the terms “group mind” and “engineering consent”, important concepts in practical propaganda work. Bernays said in his 1928 book Propaganda, that; “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. He further states that; “If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it” The current public relations industry is a direct outgrowth of Bernays’ work and his method of mass psychological manipulation is also still currently used by the United States government.
 
The U.S. Government has an extensive history of conducting planned campaigns of extensive strategic psychological operations [based upon the works of Benays] through the national media to influence and direct the perception and climate of the nation towards its governmental objectives. Given that the nineteen sixties were a period of massive black rebellion and unrest that eroded the American global image and increasingly placed the nation’s peace and stability in dire jeopardy and perhaps most particularly because the nations top sociologist and psychologist knew that those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. This quite logically necessitated that the U.S. Government employ these same proven methods of mass psychological manipulation against its entire African American population.
The U.S. Government now secretly deliberately disseminates false deplorably racially devaluing statistics and propaganda about its Black population that are deliberately designed to adversely manipulate and shape the minds and collective consciousness of its African American population– corrupting African Americans sense of unity, cohesion, and reason– and fostering a consensual national environment  of where in which its Black population is more easily divided, exploited and ultimately suppressed.
 
When most people hear the term of psychological manipulation they usually think in terms of the classic “conspiracy theory” that refers to overt mind control such as mind altering drugs with carefully hypnotic programming. However, the real and true dangers are Bernays well proven methods of affecting the unconscious mind by using deception, and psychological manipulation. It is neither magical nor mystical, but a process that involves a set of basic social psychological principles.  The constant relentless bombardment with deplorably negative images of themselves that of which African Americans are so inundated with, through a white controlled media, is a very carefully and deliberately designed psychological conditioning program. Its unrelenting daily assault on the Black psyche is designed to corrupt African Americans’ sense of racial unity and cohesion, mold the character of self-hatred, engender self-doubt, self-loathing, and distrust among their group. And while insinuating that Blacks admire, respect, and trust only Whites.  
This method of psychological manipulation works by affecting the unconscious mind through deception. It uses the psychology of deceit to adversely affect the recipient group in terms of their behavior. Here is a simplified example of how this is being implemented against African Americans.  Let us, for example, imagine that a crew of people was aboard their own massive ship and that this ship was being shadowed by another neighboring ship that was constantly broadcasting derogatory messages to the first group. Such messages as that their ship was lesser, smaller, not seaworthy, perhaps slowly sinking or that their crew was incompetent and was planning a mutiny.  With time, the group receiving the negative messages, being unable to refute or to confirm these derogatory messages and deficiencies will grow weary and paranoid of the negative messages and will eventually comes to accept these negative assessments of themselves. The perception created by the taunting now unconsciously influences how the taunted group perceives themselves, subsequently causing them to become distrustful of themselves, doubting themselves, hating themselves and, eventually, fighting among themselves. The taunted group may even become so besieged by deep feelings of inadequacy that they may even jump into the sea and attempt to swim towards the taunting ship now believing it to be superior to their own ship even if their own ship was in fact better. The basis of this concept of mind manipulation is that the human being’s most critical aspect is the mind and it works by affecting the mind through deception.
Within a real life setting this mortifying psychosocial treatment is precisely what is being deliberately done to African Americans through corporate owned and governmentally controlled media outlets that deliberately subjected them to seeing only the fraudulently worst in themselves. This is done through an immense campaign of false derogatory misinformation and false negative media reports and statistics that are created by U.S. governmental agencies and then leaked to its collaborators in the news media, which either knowingly or unknowingly carry the stories as their own. These false information about African Americans are then disseminated unrelentingly everywhere; it is deliberately perpetuated through news releases in magazine articles, radio, television, press releases, documentaries, and false census reports perpetuating and framing the myth of Whites’ racial, moral, and ethical superiority over its Black population. However, the weapon is not in how the message is carried, but is instead within the messages that it carries and how these messages detrimentally affects the Black population at large.
The overrepresentation of Black crimes and grossly exaggerated statistics of Black on Black violence within this psychosocial program are intentionally designed to create fear, hatred, and distrust thus molding the character of disunity and self-hatred among the Black community.  [Black’s own personal negative experiences and interactions with their fellow Blacks then merely confirm the program’s perpetuated message that it is they that are their own worst enemies]. The ultimately goal of this governmental psychosocial treatment of African Americans is to destroy the Black unity and cohesion that was historically the cornerstone of civil rights gains and that was a crucial factor of the survival of African Americans through more than four hundred years of racial oppression. [Logic dictates that given that unity and cohesion among African Americans was responsible for the demise of White America’s past system of blatant, institutionalized racism, then destroying this unity would be an essential objective of this psychological manipulation program.]
 
All African Americans have experienced the burden of this system of applied psychological conditioning, some more severely than others have.  It is experienced every time we [Blacks] read a newspaper, watch the evening news, listen to a radio report, enter a classroom and read its racially biased textbooks.  To the detriment of many African Americans, it has been an extremely effective. It has successfully conditioned many African Americans to accept the dominance of Whites and white institutions over their lives by misleading them to believe that they are, themselves, their own worst enemies, therefore engendering an aberration of internalized self contempt that pulverizes Black unity and halts Black upward mobility. It is at the root of both the profound division and self hatred now afflicting so many Black Americans and is at the heart of internalized feelings of superiority that many whites possess.
And while many African Americans have successfully navigated through this psychologically mortifying mine field and have gone on to lead successful, productive lives, for far too many this immense devaluation can seem inescapable and tragically, over time, many begin to accept subconsciously and painfully the negative portrayals of themselves. Many also become discouraged by the acceptance that their society is also preconditioned to see the worst in them and that, therefore, if they were ever to gain acceptance, if it is to be won at all, that success would be hard won. This in turn manifests negative internalized psychological pain and distress within many African Americans that can take many forms.
In fact, this governmental mortifying psychosocial treatment of African Americans may be the most aggravating, if not core, factor of the national phenomenon of self hatred; loss of educational aspirations; loss of unity, cohesion and racial pride; and fragile psyches of many African Americans today. It is in fact so fundamentally detrimental to the Black human condition and psyche that it may even affect the extent to which many African Americans realize their full human potential. This type of psychological manipulation program has also been proven very effective in rapidly destroying a group’s ethical and moral values and engendering negative cultural norms with regard to violence, brutality, and even murder. All people, to some degree, are products of cultural conditions and their worldviews operate outside of their level of consciousness. Therefore, no group can be preconditioned to see only the worst in themselves and not exhibit some degree of negative psychological impact.
 Not only does this massive governmental psychological manipulation campaign negatively impacts Blacks self perceptions, but it also provides a more socially acceptable way to assure that the masses of African Americans remains the most racially devalued and most economical exploited and suppressed group in America.         The media’s constant, fraudulently inaccurate, negative imagery of Black Americans is designed also to create a shift of victimization that changes the root problem of racism in America to be due to Black’s behavior rather than White’s proclivity for racism. Therefore insinuates that America would be a better society as a whole if African Americans were gone, thus engendering increasingly prejudiced distorted perceptions and acrimonious beliefs about African Americans that are designed to makes the nation and the entire world insensitive to their plight, tranquilizes efforts on their behalf, lessens pressure for social change on their behalf, and makes any serious criticism of White racism almost impossible today. Therefore fostering a national setting of where in which Blacks are more easily exploited and ultimately consensually suppressed. Moreover, some studies have shown that this shift of victimization now reflects increasingly acrimonious beliefs and prejudiced perceptions about and against African Americans that are arguably stronger today than they were after emancipation.
 This campaign also attempts to discourage miscegenation between Blacks and whites, and creates a false justification for the legal system’s mistreatment of African Americans wherein they are disproportionately incarcerated, given stiffer sentences, and are more likely than other racial groups to be treated brutally, beaten, and fired upon by police officers while they are unarmed. These injustices now goes ignored because the perception has subconsciously become that it’s all now justified.  When contempt of Blacks is made to appear to be justifiable, it is the fiercest and most effective type of racism because its witnesses, bystanders, and even world audiences will sit by idly allowing African Americans to be brutally mistreated under the belief that it is justified.  This is what Dr. Edward Bernays referred to as “engineering consent”.
 
This governmental psychological conditioning program stripped African Americans of the national and international support that was acquired during the 1960’s civil rights struggles. It also today affects attitudes that when enacted through governmental policies, laws, and other legislation actions, serve to ensure that African Americans will not advance. Its effects are manifested in ideas, education, governmental policies, economic stratification, social segregation, housing markets, hiring and promotion practices, psychological issues, and minority access to a variety of social services and opportunity.
 

In order for we African Americans to overcome the profound feelings of hopelessness, confusion, and self hatred that still overwhelmingly plagues millions within our communities, we must synergized our energies and efforts towards countering the effects of the United State’s ongoing governmental mass media psychosocial treatment of us that is deliberately designed to render such disunity and confusion among our race as a means of ensuring that its white dominance and control is maintained.

The objective of the United States government has always been to maintain its White dominance and control over its Black population, and clearly, psychological warfare meets this need. It was the logical choice because it covertly provided the U.S. Government with a far more sophisticated, proficient, and socially accepted means of covertly controlling and suppressing its Black population. Through this method the U.S. Government is able to both influence the national climate and engender personal psychological feelings among its Black population that meet its objectives of maintaining its white dominance.  Furthermore, history overwhelmingly demonstrates that the White race’s innate proclivity for racism, control, and dominance is much too deeply ingrained for them to just merely give up their practices of implementing suppressive methods over its African American population. The records of history show that the reincarnation of suppressive methods into forms more acceptable to the changing times is a common practice of the United States government.

As seen after the abolishment of slavery wherein its methods of using racist, oppressive treatment of its Black population was reincarnated into Jim Crow inequalities that included many devious strategies and methods that prevented Blacks from becoming registered voters.  And let us not forget the horrific Tuskegee experiments where of in which from1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conducted dangerous syphilis experiments on four hundred Black men. These men were deliberately left to degenerate painfully under the ravishes of the disease – with symptoms including blindness, tumors, paralysis, insanity and death – to allow the U.S. Government to collect the needed data from their autopsies.  And let us also not forget of the CIA’s involvement in flooding the Black communities of Los Angeles with drugs and high powered weaponry and then disseminated these drugs and weaponry to many African American communities throughout the United States destroying the lives of millions of African Americans while stimulating the economy through the prison industry. The historic and demonstrative evidence overwhelmingly reflects the reality that the U.S. government does manifest a proclivity for reinventing devious methods to suppress its Black population. This proclivity has led to the U.S. Government using its proven method of mass psychological manipulation to control the advancement and growth of its Black population.  It was the next logical choice because the evils of racism thrives best when its victims no longer recognizes the evil. 
 
“When the truth comes along and you know in your bones that it’s the truth yet you still refuse to accept and defend it you then really begin to die.”
THE BLACK MATRIX:
THE MODERN CONTINUED MENTAL AND SOCIAL SUPPRESSION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS UNDER NATIONAL INTEREST © 2006, 2008
by Franklin G. Jones
 
 
 “Our lives began to end when we stopped speaking up for the things that matter”
                                                                           — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
——————–
Posted to API by F.Jones
Published by Korir, Chief Editor, African Press International – API

Posted in AA > News and News analysis | Leave a Comment »

The Black Matrix: The Modern Mental & Social Suppression of African Americans is now on YouTube.

Posted by African Press International on September 5, 2008

The Black Matrix: the modern mental and  social suppression of African Americans has been launched on Youtube.  One version is entitled simple “Black Matrix” and a more in dept version is entitled “Mental and Social Suppression”. Please view them both.
 
Side note: 
 
The Brothers and Sisters that launched this important information on to You tube later admitted of fearing retribution from me for having posted it– saying that they felt compelled to do so even without having my permission.  Please readers know that I could never seek retribution to any one that helps to spread this much needed information, because this subjects is not mines made for mere profit. Nor is this my fight to fight alone. This is all of our fight .
 
There is infact no fight more pressing for we Black people than this one.
This fight surpasses all of our other issues, because this is how we are being systemtically devalued, miseducated, exploited, divided, confused, imprisoned and even justifiable murdered as a means of maintaining white dominance and control in the United states. Therefore it is connected to most , if not all-of the disparities within our Black comunities.
I therefore encourage others to also forward the information and also post it on you-tubes. I ask only that the information stays accurate. so that its details will always stand up against –the the lesser thought through– scrutiny.

This is Dr. Edward Bernays the architect of the modern system of white racism now used against us.
 
Edward  Bernays.jpg
 
No matter what you now think, this is how mind control has been used against YOU and the entire population of the US, and Europe.
 
I suggest that we all spend a little time and learn what ThaNubian has to teach.
 
Ignorance is not only ugly, it’s lethal to Black people! I hope that someone in the YouTube crew does some videos on this subject.
 
A few Videos on Bernay’s style of Brainwashing
 
 
Here you have it from the master of propaganda himself. feminism womens liberation infowars.com adam curtis century
 

 
shtml Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Century_Of_The_Self Century of the Self adam Curtis sigmund freud

 
Pass it on YT bothers and sisters & Thank you again Nubian!
 
 
EV
…………………………………………………………
— On Wed, 9/3/08, F. Jones <thanubian2@yahoo.com> wrote:
 
 

 

” If we understand the mechanism and motives of a group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it”  — Dr. Edward Bernays
                                 
   The present despairing state of Black America is neither a baffling phenomenon nor the result of some innate deficient capacity among Blacks , but rather instead the result of the White elite’s innate proclivity for reinventing devious methods of suppressing its Black population – as a means of maintaining its white dominance and control.  Dr. Edward Bernays is the architect of the modern method of suppression now used against Black America.
 
 
 
Dr. Edward Bernay’s was a nephew of Sigmund Freud and one of the most skillful experts in mass manipulation.  He invented the modern day Madison Avenue advertising Agencies by using his Uncle Sigmund’s knowledge of the human psyche to make people feel they needed whatever product was being advertised. Edward Bernays also invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud’s ideas to manipulate the masses. Bernays was one of the main architects of the modern techniques of mass-consumer persuasion. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn’t need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.
 
 
You’ve Come a Long Way Baby!
  
His most notorious feat was breaking the taboo on women smoking by persuading them that cigarettes were a symbol of independence and freedom. Bernays was convinced that this mass method of manipulation was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. For him it was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle, Sigmund Freud, had identified, people could be made happy, docile, angry, self hating or even confused.
 
During World War I, Bernays and journalist Walter Lippman were hired by then United States President, Woodrow Wilson, to participate in the Creel Commission, the mission of which was to sway popular opinion in favor of entering the war, on the side of Britain. The war propaganda campaign of Bernays and Lippman produced such an intense anti-German hysteria as to permanently impress America’s governmental elites with the potential of large-scale propaganda to control public opinion. Edward Bernays advised US presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Eisenhower and served numerous corporations and business associations. This was the start of the mass media and governmental psychological manipulation programs which has come to covertly dominate today’s world. One of Bernays biggest fans was Hitler’s propaganda chief, Joseph Goebbels, a fact about which Bernays bragged proudly.  A common pattern used repeatedly by Bernays was to turn a harmless entity into a fearsome enemy through lies and manufactured news items. Then use the “threat” to justify attacking the entity. Edward Bernays coined the terms “group mind” and “engineering consent”, important concepts in practical propaganda work. Bernays said in his 1928 book Propaganda, that; “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. He further states that; “If we understand the mechanism and motives of the group mind, it is now possible to control and regiment the masses according to our will without them knowing it” The current public relations industry is a direct outgrowth of Bernays’ work and his method of mass psychological manipulation is also still currently used by the United States government.

The U.S. Government has an extensive history of conducting planned campaigns of extensive strategic psychological operations [based upon the works of Benays] through the national media to influence and direct the perception and climate of the nation towards its governmental objectives. Given that the nineteen sixties were a period of massive black rebellion and unrest that eroded the American global image and increasingly placed the nation’s peace and stability in dire jeopardy and perhaps most particularly because the nations top sociologist and psychologist knew that those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. This quite logically necessitated that the U.S. Government employ these same proven methods of mass psychological manipulation against its entire African American population.
The U.S. Government now secretly deliberately disseminates false deplorably racially devaluing statistics and propaganda about its Black population that are deliberately designed to adversely manipulate and shape the minds and collective consciousness of its African American population– corrupting African Americans sense of unity, cohesion, and reason– and fostering a consensual national environment  of where in which its Black population is more easily divided, exploited and ultimately suppressed.
 
When most people hear the term of psychological manipulation they usually think in terms of the classic “conspiracy theory” that refers to overt mind control such as mind altering drugs with carefully hypnotic programming. However, the real and true dangers are Bernays well proven methods of affecting the unconscious mind by using deception, and psychological manipulation. It is neither magical nor mystical, but a process that involves a set of basic social psychological principles.  The constant relentless bombardment with deplorably negative images of themselves that of which African Americans are so inundated with, through a white controlled media, is a very carefully and deliberately designed psychological conditioning program. Its unrelenting daily assault on the Black psyche is designed to corrupt African Americans’ sense of racial unity and cohesion, mold the character of self-hatred, engender self-doubt, self-loathing, and distrust among their group. And while insinuating that Blacks admire, respect, and trust only Whites.

This method of psychological manipulation works by affecting the unconscious mind through deception. It uses the psychology of deceit to adversely affect the recipient group in terms of their behavior. Here is a simplified example of how this is being implemented against African Americans.  Let us, for example, imagine that a crew of people was aboard their own massive ship and that this ship was being shadowed by another neighboring ship that was constantly broadcasting derogatory messages to the first group. Such messages as that their ship was lesser, smaller, not seaworthy, perhaps slowly sinking or that their crew was incompetent and was planning a mutiny.  With time, the group receiving the negative messages, being unable to refute or to confirm these derogatory messages and deficiencies will grow weary and paranoid of the negative messages and will eventually comes to accept these negative assessments of themselves. The perception created by the taunting now unconsciously influences how the taunted group perceives themselves, subsequently causing them to become distrustful of themselves, doubting themselves, hating themselves and, eventually, fighting among themselves. The taunted group may even become so besieged by deep feelings of inadequacy that they may even jump into the sea and attempt to swim towards the taunting ship now believing it to be superior to their own ship even if their own ship was in fact better. The basis of this concept of mind manipulation is that the human being’s most critical aspect is the mind and it works by affecting the mind through deception.
Within a real life setting this mortifying psychosocial treatment is precisely what is being deliberately done to African Americans through corporate owned and governmentally controlled media outlets that deliberately subjected them to seeing only the fraudulently worst in themselves. This is done through an immense campaign of false derogatory misinformation and false negative media reports and statistics that are created by U.S. governmental agencies and then leaked to its collaborators in the news media, which either knowingly or unknowingly carry the stories as their own. These false information about African Americans are then disseminated unrelentingly everywhere; it is deliberately perpetuated through news releases in magazine articles, radio, television, press releases, documentaries, and false census reports perpetuating and framing the myth of Whites’ racial, moral, and ethical superiority over its Black population. However, the weapon is not in how the message is carried, but is instead within the messages that it carries and how these messages detrimentally affects the Black population at large.

The overrepresentation of Black crimes and grossly exaggerated statistics of Black on Black violence within this psychosocial program are intentionally designed to create fear, hatred, and distrust thus molding the character of disunity and self-hatred among the Black community.  [Black’s own personal negative experiences and interactions with their fellow Blacks then merely confirm the program’s perpetuated message that it is they that are their own worst enemies]. The ultimately goal of this governmental psychosocial treatment of African Americans is to destroy the Black unity and cohesion that was historically the cornerstone of civil rights gains and that was a crucial factor of the survival of African Americans through more than four hundred years of racial oppression. [Logic dictates that given that unity and cohesion among African Americans was responsible for the demise of White America’s past system of blatant, institutionalized racism, then destroying this unity would be an essential objective of this psychological manipulation program.]
All African Americans have experienced the burden of this system of applied psychological conditioning, some more severely than others have.  It is experienced every time we [Blacks] read a newspaper, watch the evening news, listen to a radio report, enter a classroom and read its racially biased textbooks.  To the detriment of many African Americans, it has been an extremely effective. It has successfully conditioned many African Americans to accept the dominance of Whites and white institutions over their lives by misleading them to believe that they are, themselves, their own worst enemies, therefore engendering an aberration of internalized self contempt that pulverizes Black unity and halts Black upward mobility. It is at the root of both the profound division and self hatred now afflicting so many Black Americans and is at the heart of internalized feelings of superiority that many whites possess.
And while many African Americans have successfully navigated through this psychologically mortifying mine field and have gone on to lead successful, productive lives, for far too many this immense devaluation can seem inescapable and tragically, over time, many begin to accept subconsciously and painfully the negative portrayals of themselves. Many also become discouraged by the acceptance that their society is also preconditioned to see the worst in them and that, therefore, if they were ever to gain acceptance, if it is to be won at all, that success would be hard won. This in turn manifests negative internalized psychological pain and distress within many African Americans that can take many forms.

In fact, this governmental mortifying psychosocial treatment of African Americans may be the most aggravating, if not core, factor of the national phenomenon of self hatred; loss of educational aspirations; loss of unity, cohesion and racial pride; and fragile psyches of many African Americans today. It is in fact so fundamentally detrimental to the Black human condition and psyche that it may even affect the extent to which many African Americans realize their full human potential. This type of psychological manipulation program has also been proven very effective in rapidly destroying a group’s ethical and moral values and engendering negative cultural norms with regard to violence, brutality, and even murder. All people, to some degree, are products of cultural conditions and their worldviews operate outside of their level of consciousness. Therefore, no group can be preconditioned to see only the worst in themselves and not exhibit some degree of negative psychological impact.
 Not only does this massive governmental psychological manipulation campaign negatively impacts Blacks self perceptions, but it also provides a more socially acceptable way to assure that the masses of African Americans remains the most racially devalued and most economical exploited and suppressed group in America.         The media’s constant, fraudulently inaccurate, negative imagery of Black Americans is designed also to create a shift of victimization that changes the root problem of racism in America to be due to Black’s behavior rather than White’s proclivity for racism. Therefore insinuates that America would be a better society as a whole if African Americans were gone, thus engendering increasingly prejudiced distorted perceptions and acrimonious beliefs about African Americans that are designed to makes the nation and the entire world insensitive to their plight, tranquilizes efforts on their behalf, lessens pressure for social change on their behalf, and makes any serious criticism of White racism almost impossible today. Therefore fostering a national setting of where in which Blacks are more easily exploited and ultimately consensually suppressed. Moreover, some studies have shown that this shift of victimization now reflects increasingly acrimonious beliefs and prejudiced perceptions about and against African Americans that are arguably stronger today than they were after emancipation.
 This campaign also attempts to discourage miscegenation between Blacks and whites, and creates a false justification for the legal system’s mistreatment of African Americans wherein they are disproportionately incarcerated, given stiffer sentences, and are more likely than other racial groups to be treated brutally, beaten, and fired upon by police officers while they are unarmed. These injustices now goes ignored because the perception has subconsciously become that it’s all now justified.  When contempt of Blacks is made to appear to be justifiable, it is the fiercest and most effective type of racism because its witnesses, bystanders, and even world audiences will sit by idly allowing African Americans to be brutally mistreated under the belief that it is justified.  This is what Dr. Edward Bernays referred to as “engineering consent”.
 
This governmental psychological conditioning program stripped African Americans of the national and international support that was acquired during the 1960’s civil rights struggles. It also today affects attitudes that when enacted through governmental policies, laws, and other legislation actions, serve to ensure that African Americans will not advance. Its effects are manifested in ideas, education, governmental policies, economic stratification, social segregation, housing markets, hiring and promotion practices, psychological issues, and minority access to a variety of social services and opportunity.
 

In order for we African Americans to overcome the profound feelings of hopelessness, confusion, and self hatred that still overwhelmingly plagues millions within our communities, we must synergized our energies and efforts towards countering the effects of the United State’s ongoing governmental mass media psychosocial treatment of us that is deliberately designed to render such disunity and confusion among our race as a means of ensuring that its white dominance and control is maintained.

The objective of the United States government has always been to maintain its White dominance and control over its Black population, and clearly, psychological warfare meets this need. It was the logical choice because it covertly provided the U.S. Government with a far more sophisticated, proficient, and socially accepted means of covertly controlling and suppressing its Black population. Through this method the U.S. Government is able to both influence the national climate and engender personal psychological feelings among its Black population that meet its objectives of maintaining its white dominance.  Furthermore, history overwhelmingly demonstrates that the White race’s innate proclivity for racism, control, and dominance is much too deeply ingrained for them to just merely give up their practices of implementing suppressive methods over its African American population. The records of history show that the reincarnation of suppressive methods into forms more acceptable to the changing times is a common practice of the United States government.

 
As seen after the abolishment of slavery wherein its methods of using racist, oppressive treatment of its Black population was reincarnated into Jim Crow inequalities that included many devious strategies and methods that prevented Blacks from becoming registered voters.  And let us not forget the horrific Tuskegee experiments where of in which from1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conducted dangerous syphilis experiments on four hundred Black men. These men were deliberately left to degenerate painfully under the ravishes of the disease – with symptoms including blindness, tumors, paralysis, insanity and death – to allow the U.S. Government to collect the needed data from their autopsies.  And let us also not forget of the CIA’s involvement in flooding the Black communities of Los Angeles with drugs and high powered weaponry and then disseminated these drugs and weaponry to many African American communities throughout the United States destroying the lives of millions of African Americans while stimulating the economy through the prison industry. The historic and demonstrative evidence overwhelmingly reflects the reality that the U.S. government does manifest a proclivity for reinventing devious methods to suppress its Black population. This proclivity has led to the U.S. Government using its proven method of mass psychological manipulation to control the advancement and growth of its Black population.  It was the next logical choice because the evils of racism thrives best when its victims no longer recognizes the evil. 
 
“When the truth comes along and you know in your bones that it’s the truth yet you still refuse to accept and defend it you then really begin to die.”
 
THE BLACK MATRIX:
THE MODERN CONTINUED MENTAL AND SOCIAL SUPPRESSION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS UNDER NATIONAL INTEREST © 2006, 2008
by Franklin G. Jones
 
 
 “Our lives began to end when we stopped speaking up for the things that matter”
                                                                           — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
————
Posted to API by F.Jones
Published by Korir, Chief Editor, African Press Intetnational – api

Posted in AA > News and News analysis | 1 Comment »