For the record: I now want to be besties with Krista Thompson, the 2009 winner of the David C. Driskell Prize and Associate Professor of Art History at Northwestern University. Her recent High Museum lecture, “Of Shine, Bling and Bixels: Toward a Post-Soul Art History,” blew me away with its analysis of contemporary artist Kehinde Wiley’s work and the ways in which it references both pop culture and Renaissance symbolism.

If you have seen portraits of hip-hop stars featured in VH1’s Hip-Hop Honors series, you are familiar with Kehinde Wiley’s work. His portraits feature contemporary black male subjects — famous and not — in poses that replicate or give a nod to Renaissance-era portraiture.

Wiley’s portraits, Thompson says, use a hyper-luminous light source. He often oils the faces of his subjects to bring out their ‘shine.’ Wiley then places them against backgrounds pulled from 1950s era wallpaper or 1990s Martha Stewart wallpaper patterns. At once, she argues, Wiley references both Hype Williams’ shiny video aesthetic that ushered in the ice and bling era of hip-hop and American mass consumption and consumerism.

By posing these men against backgrounds of wallpaper, I think Wiley is also commenting on the ways in which we relegate black men to the background of politics and power, though they are in the foreground of contemporary pop culture. Thompson also suggests that the use of wallpaper — very domestic, very feminine — is also a way in which Wiley (who is gay) plays with notions of black masculinity.

Kehinde Wiley and the Renaissance

Thompson also tied Wiley’s work to the use of light and sheen (or shine) in Renaissance Era portraits, particularly those from the Dutch school. As she explained, oil paint was a new medium in the late Renaissance. It appeared at the same time luxury goods were arriving in Europe from abroad. Painters from the Dutch school, in particular, used light and sheen to capture the opulence and sumptuousness of these new fabrics and products and wealth.

But the faces and flesh of white European male subjects? Shine and light were never used. Shine was used to emphasize objects, not people. Yet black and African subjects from the period were frequently portrayed as ‘shiny.’ I believe Thompson argues that this was a part of the objectification and ‘othering’ of blackness that was part-and-parcel of the burgeoning trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Classism, bling and Black Folks

What struck me, however, was a comment Thompson made in response to a question from an older, obviously middle-to-upper middle class black gentleman in the audience. He asked (if I recall correctly) about the ethics of hip-hop’s conspicuous consumption culture of at a time when black folks are in such dire straits.

Thompson said, roughly: “We don’t see a driver of a BMW as consuming in the same way as someone who’s wearing a shiny watch, even if that watch cost $10.” It is about, she said, who we think should consume and who shouldn’t.

In many ways, bling and the related “ghetto fabulous” aesthetic are about visibility and asserting power through visual, material display. It’s in contrast to values of restraint and a comparatively modest display of consumption that are hallmarks of middle-class aesthetics. It’s expressed in the differences between Facebook and MySpace users. Among black people, it often plays out along generational lines.

Let me suggest that the bling aesthetic is a way for poor and/or urban black people to claim and stake visibility in a period when both white and bourgeois black flight rendered them silent and invisible.

Much of the visibility of the Civil Rights Movement — the ‘soul’ era if we use musical shifts as our markers — came from respectable Negroes: college students, preachers, prim-and-proper women of high moral character and community standing such as Rosa Parks.

I am stealing a point from feminist critic bell hooks here by arguing that the Civil Rights Movement was, in many ways, a movement of the black bourgeoisie. The goal was about access to middle-class mainstream (read: white) society and its trappings — equality of opportunity, rather than cultural transformation or revolution. When the movement stalled, thanks to the contributions of integration, bourgie-Negro flight and Reagonomics, poor and/or urban blacks disappeared, except in demonized forms (‘Welfare Queen,’ Willie Horton, etc.).

Enter hip-hop and its aspirational consumption patterns and conspicuous display. Looking rich is as important as being rich. After all, how fly can your $800 Louis Vuitton bag be if I have one too? (Don’t worry about the fact that I got it on Canal St.) How fly can your $3,000 Rolex be if my $25 rhinestone watch is way blingier? I mean I got a quarter tank of gas / in my new E Class, and Got everythaaaang / In my mama naaaame but I’m Still Fly, right?

I think this is where my point ties back to those raised by Thompson in her lecture, and Wiley’s work. Consumption on display is a way of asserting and displaying power and prestige — something which the aesthetic of bling at once adheres to and subverts.

More about Kehinde Wiley

• Kehinde Wiley’s ‘Black Light’ series, the focus of Thompson’s analysis
• A Q&A with Wiley by M.I.A. in Interview magazine
• Kehinde Wiley in New York Times Topics
• Kehinde Wiley’s profile on ArtNet

I often do this when my work plate approaches full and I need blocks of time to focus. I think developers need those time blocks in ways that aren’t always clear to managers and account staff. As Trapani explains:

Being available to your boss and co-workers is part of your job. But the most creative and important work you do requires total focus and attention for an extended period of time. Your brain needs at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted time to dive in, concentrate on one thing, and get into the zone where you’re truly focused and doing your best work. Time blocking is a technique that sets the stage for that to happen.

The biggest productivity suck, in my opinion, is a day with more than one meeting. On those days, I block out my morning (if the meeting is scheduled for the afternoon) or my afternoon (if the meeting is in the morning) to give myself four hours of time when I am just not available. I add it to my calendar, and specifically request that my coworkers not schedule meetings during that time. So far, it’s working.

[Via Lifehacker]

A funny thing happens when people find out you are engaged: that’s the first thing anyone wants to talk about. The old Monday morning small talk question “How was your weekend?” has been replaced by “So, have you set a date yet?”

People — women especially — beam and bounce, and in some cases, squeal while excitedly sharing wedding planning advice, or their own ideas of a dream wedding. You get introduced to people as “newly engaged” as though you just won an Oscar, or discovered the cure for cancer or something. It feels a bit like being welcomed into a cult or at least the Smug Marrieds Society.^*

Don’t get me wrong: I want to marry Jason. He brings kid-on-Christmas style joy and laughter to my life. He challenges me to be happy — which is very hard for me — without me feeling like I am dependent on him for it. I feel loved and supported in ways I thought unimaginable. And I have a deeper level of admiration, respect, and affection for him than I have ever had for anyone. I want to have a lifetime worth of adventures and fulfill dreams with him.

But squealing glee? People, calm. the fuck. down. For us, life is the same as it ever was. I just have something extra sparkly on my left hand on that finger to the right of my pinky.

Marriage was not a life goal for either of us. It’s something that happened, quite unexpectedly, because we each found someone we wanted to keep around.

* If you see either of us exhibit symptoms of being a Smug Married, you have my permission to slap us both.

Perhaps it’s something about the nature of abortion itself: it generally does not define a woman’s identity nor engender community formation. … In fact, Cosby’s research has shown women who have abortions specifically try to distance themselves from others who have had the same experience. They don’t want to consider themselves part of the stereotype, the woman who is sexually promiscuous and careless about birth control. … The irony, of course, is that by removing themselves from their abortion experiences, these women are perpetuating the same stereotypes they seek to avoid.

From From Town Halls To Twitter: The Long, Rocky Road To Destigmatizing Abortion at Newsweek.com [via @antitheistangie]

An estimated 1 in 3 American women will have an abortion by the time they are 45 (about the time menopause sets in). And women choose abortion for some very good reasons.

Related: The Abortion Project

But what we know is that reproductive justice isn’t just about freedom from coercive sterilization. It’s also about access to a full range of reproductive technologies, whether that’s birth control, sterilization, abortion or even childbirth.

From Worried About Women of Color? Thanks, But No Thanks, Anti-Choicers. We’ve Got It Covered. by the kick-ass Miriam Pérez on Racialicious.com.

The voices of women of color have been silent and/or silenced on the issues of abortion, birth control, and access. Pérez discusses reproductive justice in Latina-specific context in her essay. Similar struggles and policies have targeted Black American women. Now, however, this history of forced sterilizations and eugenics is being used by anti-abortion groups to undermine access to abortion for all women.

To really work, Sierra observed, an entrepreneur’s blog has to be about something bigger than his or her company and his or her product. This sounds simple, but it isn’t. It takes real discipline to not talk about yourself and your company. Blogging as a medium seems so personal, and often it is. But when you’re using a blog to promote a business, that blog can’t be about you, Sierra said. It has to be about your readers, who will, it’s hoped, become your customers. It has to be about making them awesome.

From Let’s Take This Offline by Joel Spolsky of Joel on Software.

Joel goes on to say that blogging may not be the best way to build a customer base in terms of return on investment. In fact, he plans to give up the practice so he can focus on building his company, Fog Creek Software.

But Sierra’s point is a good one. What makes corporate blogs interesting is not about projects or people. It’s about the company’s culture. What intrigues the company as a group? What inspires them? What kinds of insights do they have? How closely do they follow trends and technology? Is my industry even on their radar?

The differences in the performance of more and less equal countries are very large. Rather than things being just a bit worse in more unequal countries, they are very much worse. More unequal countries have three times the rates of violence, of infant mortality and of mental illness. Their teenage birth rates are six times as high, and rates of imprisonment are eight times higher.

From Hey, America: It’s Time to Redefine the “Good Life” on Alternet.org.

The United States’ income inequality is comparable to that of Russia and Mexico. In fact, we’re the only rich nation in which it has become worse since 1980.

Ask yourself:

• Can I afford to buy a house without financing?
• If I can’t afford to buy a house without financing, would I mind living in a house or my desired neighborhood for 15, 25 or 30 years (the probable length of your mortgage)?
• If I have to move, and can’t sell the house, would it be possible to rent the house for enough money to cover the monthly payment? Would I be comfortable with being a landlord?
• Can I afford to cover my monthly PITI payment (principal, interest, taxes and insurance), plus an extra $300 – $500 (or more) per month in utilities, home owners association fees, and maintenance?*
• If I am choosing to buy in a subdivision, town home or condominium complex: Have all of the properties been sold, or is this a new subdivision where the home owner’s association dues may be subject to change if the builder needs to recoup its costs quickly?
• If I am single, am I willing to have a house mate to make this house more affordable?
• If I am partnered, can either of us afford to cover the mortgage, taxes and utilities should the other lose his or her job?
• Do I have access to thousands in cash if, for example, a pipe breaks or a septic tank fails? If not, do I have access to credit to cover such an emergency? Can I afford to tap that credit?

If the answer to any of those questions is ‘no,’ rent. This is particularly true if you are single and child-free. Rent an apartment. Rent a house. Just rent. Take the money you’re not spending on taxes, maintenance, and extra furniture and sock it in a savings or investment vehicle that generates the biggest return you can find.

Ask an attorney:

• Will my mortgage be a recourse mortgage?
• If I have to go through a foreclosure, could I be subject to deficiency judgment?

If the answer to either of these questions is “yes,” rent. You can’t predict 15, 25 or 30 years worth of future, and if something catastrophic happens — such as a job loss — you don’t want to be on the hook for money you don’t have and can’t pay.

Don’t do what I did. Ignore your parents. Ignore your friends who were fortunate enough to enter the market at a good time and insist it will pick back up one day. There is no shame in renting. And in many, perhaps even most cases, it’s a damned sensible thing to do.

* Note: I am not including cable. I’m talking natural gas heating and electric, and I live in a southern state where winters are mild and gas and electric are both relatively cheap.

Canada has shown it is possible to provide universal, publicly funded lifetime coverage, achieve better overall health outcomes and reduce health disparities while spending substantially less than the United States. From an economic standpoint, a system such as Canada’s makes sense. Canada’s universal health care and the Canadian social safety net combine efficiently to generate health.

From Canada’s health care lessons for U.S.: more equity, efficiency

Also see: Post-Op by Cecily, a black American who emigrated to Canada.

I just want women to know they aren’t alone & if they *aren’t* super sad like everyone says you should be, it doesn’t mean you’re inhuman

Angela “Anti-Theist Angie” Jackson on why she is live-tweeting her medical — meaning with RU-486 instead of surgery — abortion.

That’s some brave sh*t.

Also see: Angie’s blog, the interview at The Frisky, and the predictable blow back from the Internet.

The evidence presented here powerfully refutes the widespread popular belief that America’s Hispanics have high crime rates. Instead, their criminality seems to fall near the center of the white national distribution, being somewhat higher than white New Englanders but somewhat lower than white Southerners. Taken as a whole, the mass of statistical evidence constitutes strong support for the “null hypothesis,” namely that Hispanics have approximately the same crime rates as whites of the same age.

So says Ron Unz in his piece His-Panic in — wait for it — The American Conservative.

That sound you hear? I think that’s Lou Dobbs’ head exploding.

Now my peoples? Yeah. Not much to say about that.

When you travel outside the United States or make purchases that originate there, use a credit card from Capital One, which charges nothing for the privilege. Or try the Schwab Invest First Visa, which works the same way. Cards from smaller banks or credit unions may have similar policies.

From A Card Fee Still Hides in the Luggage in the New York Times.

Consider yourself informed.

Oppression renames its victims, brands them as a farmer brands his cattle with a common signature. It always aims to subvert the individual spirit and the humanity of the victim; and the victim will more or less struggle to remove oppression and be free.

Nigerian author Chinua Achebe in his essay “Spelling Our Proper Name,” in his book The Education of a British-Protected Child: Essays

And in the absence of alternative models of masculinity, many low-income men will compensate for their lack of respect and resources by cultivating a hypermasculine identity that scorns traditional definitions of responsible manhood.

Stephanie Coontz, in “For Women, Redefining Marriage Material: The Good and the Bad” on the New York Times’ Room for Debate blog.

But what galls me? This shit right here:

One of the most contentious parts of the law was the creation of a Web site whereby any woman who had had an abortion would have been required to provide personal details pertaining to her choice, including her relationships, financial situation and motivation for seeking an abortion.

Because all women who seek abortions are careless sluts, right? They’re not, after all, women who are be in committed relationships with men who are having trouble finding steady, living-wage employment. Or women who may be in an abusive relationship. Or women whose health may be at risk. Or women whose contraception failed. Or women who miscalculated her menstrual cycle and now finds herself in a position where she can’t afford, and isn’t really sure she wants to have a child.

That’s the kind of shit that just causes women to, for example, drive 8 hours to a neighboring state to get an abortion. Like it or not, whether you want to admit it or not, when a woman is pregnant and doesn’t want to be, there is very little she won’t do or try in order to terminate her pregnancy.

Don’t believe me? In Mexico, where abortion is illegal almost everywhere, an estimated 845,000 abortions (out of roughly 28 million women aged 15-49) still take place.

The question should not be “Should abortion be legal?” The questions should be “Do we believe that women should be required to risk death or injury if they do not wish to carry a pregnancy to term?” and “Do we believe that women who conceive should be forced to risk their health and safety to give birth?”

I will end with this point from a 2009 Guttmacher Institute study:

Of the approximately 42 million abortions that do occur worldwide, almost half are performed by unskilled individuals, in environments that do not meet minimum medical standards or both. Virtually all of these unsafe abortions take place in the developing world, where the unmet need for contraception remains high and very restrictive abortion laws often are the norm.

In the developed and developing world alike, antiabortion advocates and policymakers refuse to acknowledge the facts that abortion’s legal status has much less to do with how often it occurs than with whether or not it is safe, and that the surest way to actually reduce the incidence of abortion is to reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancy. While they debate, obfuscate and insist on legal prohibitions, the consequences for women, their families and society as a whole continue to be severe and undeniable.

• Related: An Overview Of Abortion In The United States