* \ rC r ~z~<■' j ’T,,- . £> *"
Tfee Lesson Of Chernobyl
The April 26 accidert at the Chernobyl
nuclear plant in the Soviet Union was,
without a doubt, the worst accident'ofits
kind. Vet, inspite'of its devastating known
and unknown impact upon human life, more
attention has been given to . the political
fallout from the accident than 10 , the
concern for human life.
In the few days immediately after , the
accident, brief reports about it were an
nounced on Russian television as routine
news items. Subsequently, many Russian
citizens dismissed the threat as a mihOr
accident of no real consequence. This kind
of thinking was undoubtedly encouraged by
the government controlled news media’s
attempt to downplay the seriousness'of the
accident andits attempt to shift attenB^lo
the precaution, taken by many foreigners as
“provocative” acts in an anti-Soviet pro
paganda campaign.
Ironically, there is strong reason to
believe that some high ranking Reagan
administration officials were actually
“ Jy about developments surrounding the
-*~**yl nuclear accident. They are niore
d with exploiting the Russian
government’s attempt, to deceive and mis
inform. the world about, the accident, than
iwith the concern for human life and ,
^'welfare. . .• _
f- By their lengthy'Overall silence'on. the «
accident, the Russian government deserves
every bit "Of criticism it has received
regardless "of .the motives behind such
■ criticism because in the final analysis
human life was involved. Soviet leader
. Rfikhail Gorbachev finally ended the silence
on the broader aspect of theChernobyl
disaster on May 14, Over two weeks after, the
accident. After pledging to provide early
warnings of any future such accidents, he
shifted his atteuQbn to criticisms ~of> the
i United States and . the West European ,
nations for telling lies about the accident.
Mr Gorbachev seems to have forgotten that
when news is supressed the media tends to
* make assumptions and draw conclusions
without a means to substantiate its findings.
However, in a somber television address,
Gorbachev did give some attention, hMhe
human element in this wor#rof a possible
kind"of accident. He said nine people had
died from the accident and that 299 others
had been hospitalized. Mr. Gorbachev then
said in his 25 minute speech,“For^the first
time ever, we encountered in realty such a
sinister force as nuclear energy that has
escaped control. The accident at Chernobyl
showed again what an abyss will'Open if
v nuclear war befalls mankind. For inherent
in the nuclear stockpiles are thousands upon
thousands "of disasters far more HOrrible
than the Chernobyl"one.”
This was not. Russian propaganda, but
simply a statement of fact Tor all the world
to heed as a clear warning'Of, the eminent
danger that we all-the human race-may
face if we don’t get serious about nuclear
arms control. Dr. Robert Gale, the UCLA
Medical Center bone marrow transplant
expel who is heading the medical, team, to
aid some' of the Chernobyl victims said, the
slow, intricate pfOcess 'Of .treatment
illustrates "our limited ability to respond to
nuclear accidents/’ much less a massive
nuclear attack.
Thus, the real lesiOn'Of ChernObyl is 10
accept the realization; that nuclear war is
unthinkable, unless we are ready.10 accept
the eliminaQon of humankind as we cur
rently know it. It is [a fact .Mfethat the
incident at Cherfiobyl has clearly deriion
strated that, the use'of nuclear energy for
peaceful purposes may itself be the cause'of
our eventual destruction be we black, white,
brown'd** yellow.
Playing The Game Of Life
Bill Cosby, comedian, scholar and star Of
!tfte number One ranked “The Cosby
ion television, delivered a commencement ,
address to.the 3,000 graduate and 12,000
faculty members, parents and friendsoftbe 4
University of South Carolina last weekeiid !
In hip characteristic humor, mixed with ~
straight forward facts of life, Cosby Wltf 1
wore a Carolina sweat shirt under his ,
ceremonial cap and gown, told the some
what startled graduates, “You
ain’t learned nothin’ yet. If ?ou. think your
little diploma is going Intake away what we
.worked hard to get, You’re 'Out 'Of your *
mind. You can’t do anything yet. You don,’t
know anything yet. You don;t know Hftr to
play the game. The real World is waiting for
you,” he said slyly. “Welove fresh feldfcl.”
f Cosby’s 20-minute speech, described as a
mixture ~0f a comedy monologue and a,
parental lecture drew laughter and ap
plause as he challenged and alerted the
graduates to, the real world that does not
await them but rather, that may crush them
if they are not prepared with the coping and V
competitive skills necessary to succeed in
the American way.
,, % Cosby’s message should be heeded by
black youth in particular. It should remind
them that while the ddonfoTOppoftiinity
may be open in many fields,, they must have
the comj^titive skills, positive attitude and
'‘■^WSP^P
_ s message means too^that the
simple fact of youthfulness and a new
college degree does not. guarantee you
anything. The new college graduate must
first market him or herself, that is, ytfu
must donvince Someone to hire you with
probably no wprk experience as you com
pete with iOmeone, older, wiser and with
Job experience.
Thus, setting all huniOr aside, along
with a college degree 'Or whatever ter
minal training certificate you may have
earned, the graduate'of . today must be
dedicated, determined anddisciplined in his
or her pursuit of a share of, the American
Dream. And thfpugh it all everyone can
succeed if they sincerely try.
'•White U>e rising Incidence of crime haH
been a source of embarrassment to many I
black leaders, tar too many have I
remained ambivalent toward the pro-1
btem. Perhaps through tear of providing
comfort to racists masquerading behind
a jnask of law and ordsr, I recognise
By Sabrina Johnson \
Special To The Post
_ Time"off forbaby-thisis a
new dilemma employers and
employees are facing. Em
ployees face heartrending
choices. Should they risk
their Jobe in'carder to have a
baby? Can they afford to be
cufoffor cut back in pay and
benefits? And who will care
For a sick child? -
Federal law Forbids the
Firing of pregnant womenbut
it does hot guarantee , thetn
their Jobe if leave'bf absence
is taken. AliO.the law does
not mention time "Off For
adoption Of. the flexibility 10
care For a sick child.
Women with small chil
dren are. the fastest growing
segment ~Of today’s work
force, nearly half "of the
women wun-miants work.
Some belieWe the answer lo
the problem |s a federal law.
that would require employ
ers to grant upto 18 weeks’of
unpaid leave for mothers and /
fathers of newborns, newly
adopted 'Or'.;seriously ill
children. Employers Would
have to coptinue their em
ployees’ health insurance
also under the plan. How
ever, a study of 384 U.S.
companies showed that such
a law was not needed. Of the
companies. studied, 63 per
cent already grant leaves.
Many employers argue
that they carmot hOld a job
for a parent On leave, but
have no problem holding a
Sabrina
position a fid doping with the
loss of manpower when
employees go'Oh vacation,
get sick or ire victims 'Of
accidents. .
‘‘w*
The Parental and Medical
Leave Act of 1986 intfoduced
earlier this year by Rep.''
Patricia Schfoeder (D
Colorado) moves to cover
twh important gaps in the
fight: 1) It acknowledges
that citizens can no longer
separate parenting front the
world :of worfc; and 2) It
recognizes the importance'of
giving Both mothers and
fathers time to BOnd with a
newborn of adopted child.
SchroederV bill would
move to establish a parental
leave Ton the birth, adoption
or serious illness'of a depen
dent child. Employees Would
corners • d 0s troyinp
concepts of lOyality and sup
port for,the company.
Such a lack in understand
ing is Forcing potential
employees to ask ahOpt such
leave and have.tttate stipu
lants put in the gfatraet.
siGons with companies if that
beneHt is hot- available
Companies that waht to
attract and keep the
workers are making _
toward closing the gap in
policies.
^Hence many feel the
leadtheway, not legislate^t
its employees the parentS
leave'opGon; then more pri
vate companies tfouM
fonow.
JRKKSV&S
parental leave. Yet they are
the fuel for economic gf ovyth
and job creation, being
responsible For Some nine >
f'edM,r ^ rSO^h*
17ie weaxness of. the paren
tal leave odCIqci Tor small
businesses provides no aptice
to the employer ip permit
adequate planning. Nor does
it have an eligibility require
ment. Replacement workers,
part-time Workers and others
Would be immediately eligi
ble for, the leave. X .
Businesses must hfcve the
flexibility to provide bene
fits that repond lo.the chang
ing needs V Workers - but
does Congress have the right
to say what that flexibility is
when each business is a
unique operation with a
specific set of goals? The
dilemma' continues.
City Gone* For
Manorial Day | S&. yf
All office* at Charlotte City go
vernment will bn closed on Me
mortal Day, May M. Regular
buatnena hour* will be resumed on
Tuesday, May XT, ataa.m.
The City Sanitation Division will
otwerve Memorial bay on Monday.
May 26 During the holiday week,
backyard refuse cOhOcSon will be
provided on a Tuesday-Thursday
schedule for reiMenta who regular
ly receive collection on Monday
regularly receive collection an
Tueaday-Frtdey. • W'”W ■
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By Sheridan N. Miller
Special To The Post
; • '
The National Bank Ameri
can civil rights 'organiza
tions’ persistent efforts to
dismantle South Africa’s ; .
apartheid system has led to
an international businesses
publication Questioning their
ulterior motives. Neverthe
less, I believe these organ
izations’ efforts follow sound
business strategy if they are
viewed from the prospectus
of a company merely repo
sitioning a mature product to
maintain its vitality.
I was highly disturbed
when I read the February 10
issues of “Business Inter
national” concerning tig
ulterior motives'of the SCLC
and tyAACP in their struggle
against South Africa’s
racist apartheid system.
This publication reported:
I , -4.
“INfany analysts believe
that the SCLC has an un
disclosed internal agenda: to
fan widespread moral indig
nation with apartheid aiAong
middle-class blacks. Affluent
blacks have been deserting
the old-line civil rights
groups in recent years;
membership is falling, and
many organizations confront
financial problems. Actions
' • ' V. t * k t
• Sherman' •<'
against apartheid strikes po
pular appeal and thus may
help reestablish the reputa
tion of the SCLC and the
NAACP (which is preparing
its'own boycott) as the focal
points for black activism.”
Let us examine how Com
panies regularly reposition
mature products or sell them
in new markets with hopeo of
breathing new life into these
aging product lines. My wife
tells me that she primarily
buys baking soda to use for
cooking purposes but “Arm
and Hammer” has Convinced
her to put a box'of it into'our
refrigerator to act as a fresh
ner. My parents led me to
beHeve that jeans were
• ^ 1
merely blue dollar work
clothes or casual dress
clothes, but in recent years
designer jeans have com
manded very high premiums
ancT become quite fashion
able.
.My civil rights business
strategy theory gained even
more credence when I stu
died an executive summary
of the feasibility analysis of
the new I'fAACP Incubator
Pfoject prepared by
Pryde, Roberts and Com
pany of Washington, DC.
This report reveals that the
SfAACP is currently under
oing a paradigm shift
from civil rights to equal £
opportunity.
This feasibility report
states, “A small business
incubator is a facility that
provides space, services and
financing to tenant firms. A
national Incubator network
Would promote the growth y
and expansion of minority
businesses nationwide by
facilitating the flow 'of
financing, contracts, train
ing, and management sup
ports to tenants in NAACP
sponsored facilities.”
The incubator feasibility
study alio highlighted four
significant points about
minority businesses:
'
.W.
-Nfinority businesses are
-^not well represented in
industries that4" offer high
growth and profit potential,
nor those that create per
manent career :orien ted
joba. v
-A program is needed to
promote the creatlon of new
business in manufacturing,
industrial services, Ugh
technology.
-Assistance is needed for
black businesses to "obtain
more diverse types "of con
tracts from major corpora
tions. . , VlTJ.. >
-Black entrepreneurs are
interested in an incubator.
I believe this new NAACP
thrust will help create Jobs
for all Americans regardless
of their race. Furthermore,
I think the NAACP has a very
positive image in the
business community. The
Conclusions of the incubator
feasibility study attest to. the
IfAACP’s credibility hi the
mainstream business
community. \ y;
“Support for an NAACP
sponsored incubator network
can be anticipated from both
public and private sectors,
with Corporations and go
vernment agencies express
ing a willingness to provide a
wide variety of resources. ”