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Inside Conditions
BUSINESS JUNE 24-30, 2015
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James Clingman
Blackonomics
Sapping your spirit at vacation time (NNPA)—The cost of air travel, coupled with all of the delays and cancellations, is very frustrating. For example, there was the recent United flight that was diverted to some remote outpost in eastern Canada where the passengers spent 20 hours or so in a barracks without luggage, and not knowing when or if they would resume their flight to London. Then, there are the tales of woe from passengers who sat on the tarmac for hours without food, air conditioning, or information on when they would leave— that is, except for the occasional, “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience; we will be cleared for takeoff shortly.” As though the sheer inconvenience of flying is not enough, the airlines are finding more and more ways to get money out of our pockets. They told us fuel costs went up when the oil crisis hit, but they did not lower their prices when the price of oil went down. They started passing out brown bag snacks to passengers, which didn’t last very long. Then, they began selling everything, even the famous peanuts, crackers, and soft drinks. The next chapter was the extra charge for checked luggage. So, folks started stuffing carry-on bags with as much as they could into them in order to get around those charges, which by the way went up from a few dollars to sky-high prices now. The current move is to eliminate carry-on bags all together. Cha-ching! The most outlandish scheme is the one currently being perpetrated by Spirit Airlines (What a name!). My family took a trip recently, the first leg of which was a flight from Atlanta to Houston. After searching for a reasonable price for two tickets, Spirit won the day for the lowest price. After all, it was just a short hop over to Houston from the ATL, right? How much could it be? Tickets were booked, and less than 24 hours before the 4 p.m. flight, an email arrived informing us that the flight had been moved up to 7 a.m. Yes, “moved up.” The problem with that move was not only the short notice, but also the inconvenience it caused because we had to drive about 150 miles from Greenville, S.C. to Atlanta to catch the flight. Nine hours made a great deal of difference in our case. But we adjusted and made it to the airport on time. The fun and games were just beginning. Upon arrival at the desk, we had to pay for our bags, of course, and we had to pay for a seat selection. Want to sit by a window or in an aisle seat? You’ll have to pay for that. The price of the tickets was $459.40, and with the extra charges for bags and seats, the price was $589.36. This scam was repeated on the return trip. The lesson: Always read the fine print. Ask questions about additional charges. And remember that nothing is free— cheap, yes—but never free. The other lesson is that some businesses such as Spirit Airlines purport to be the cheapest most cost efficient way to fly. They reel you in and then drop the bomb on you with extra fees. Not illegal, but definitely unethical. I SEE SAPPING C2
THE SHARING OF RESOURCES—Chairman of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania, Samuel Stephenson and president and CEO Doris Carson Williams share the Chambers mission and benefits with Jo Ellen Parker, president and CEO of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.
Carnegie Museums update given to Chamber members by Diane I. Daniels
markable cultural commonwealth. We understand the significance that all the cultural organizations within the city have to thrive and succeed as well as the whole city as a commonwealth of businesses, governmental sectors and the non-profit cultural sectors to create an intellectual and cultural ecosystem that is good for everybody. I love the term commonwealth for a museum because what a museum holds and offers to the public is literally the common wealth of humanity. The art and science that we hold, protect, interpret and share with our community is the common wealth of human kind,” she said tying the concept together.
Other values of the museums that she identified were transparency, digital soFor New Pittsburgh Courier phistication, social inclusion and being an entrepreneurial non-profit. The word commonwealth is a familiar Transparency she said means being term in Pennsylvania, one of four of the thoughtful about the information that is constituent states of the United States conneeded to help people make good decisions. sidered a commonwealth state. Jo Ellen “Being good communicators and sharing Parker, president and CEO of the Carnegie trust worthy good information, with the Museums of Pittsburgh liken her consorpublic, supporters and those that rely on tium of museums as a commonwealth. the programs that the museum offers,” she Kentucky, Massachusetts, Virginia and said. Pennsylvania are four of the first 15 states Digital sophistication, Parker said means that joined the Union and Parker heads the not being quant. Technology, she said has to four cultural museums in the city of Pittsbe translated into the world of the Internet burgh. The Carnegie Museum of Art, the and digital information. The goal she said is Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the to reach people from all areas Carnegie Science Center and of the world that might never the Andy Warhol Museum, four enter the physical walls of the entities that date back to 1895 museums. “Reaching people when founded by Andrew with our programming, inforCarnegie. mation, and cultural assets as The guest speaker during the well as preserving what we African American Chamber of know and do and share in a Commerce of Western Pennsyldigital format we can have a vania’s monthly Power Breaknational and international fast Meeting, Parker discussed reach.” her vision and value system for With the belief that it is imthe museums. “The value and portant to share the museums idea of the commonwealth is philanthropic legacy Parker that none of us succeed unless explained that social inclusion all of us succeed. We don’t reis a value to the museum adally succeed if others are strugministrators. Inclusion she gling,” she said. said means involvement from “That value operates for us at all backgrounds, heritages, levthe Carnegie Museum at a els of ability and faith tradinumber of levels. As a family of tions. “We want to make sure museums all four has to thrive that we are sharing the riches to contribute to the welfare of of our legacy with everyone the city to represent a range of that is interested,” she emphacultural opportunities and persized. spectives of the people that To assure that they are meeting visit us,” she explained. “We are, as a family of museums a LEADER EXPLAINS FOUR IN ONE—Jo Ellen Parker, president and CEO of their goal of being a social incluCarnegie Museums of Pittsburgh update members of the African American small commonwealth that op- Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania about the museums. (Pho- sive museum a diversity catalyst erates within a city that has for tos by Diane I. Daniels) SEE CARNEGIE C2 its size and population a re-
Global warming is a myth (NNPA)—The concept of global warming and the environmental justice movement started to grow during the Nixon administration. President Nixon saw it as a diversion from the antiVietnam War movement and the pressures of the Civil Rights Movement. He was shrewd in taking a tiny bureau from the Department of Interior and making it a cabinet level agency— the Environmental Protection Agency. Thus, the “Green Movement” began. By the time the Clinton administration came to Washington, D.C., claims of “environmental racism” were in full swing. When the Obama administration came, people were talking about “environmental justice” on equal footing with the Civil Rights Movement. Currently, the Sierra Club (environmental advocate group) mixes the Civil Rights Movement with the Global Warming Movement as if they are the same thing. It is an outrageous lie. One of the biggest claims of the environmentalists is that air pollution known as Ozone causes asthma. Asthma is a sickness that can lead to death. Let’s look at the definition, prevention and risk factors of this illness known as asthma. According to the prestigious Mayo Clinic, “Asthma is a condition in which your airways narrow and swell and produce extra mucus. This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. For some people, asthma is a minor nuisance. For others, it can be a major problem that
interferes with daily activities and Harry C. Alford may lead to a lifethreatening asthma attack. Asthma can’t be cured, but the symptoms can be controlled.” Regarding prevention, Mayo states: “While there’s no way to prevent asthma, by working together, you and your doctor can design a step-by-step plan for living with your condition and preventing asthma attacks. Identify and avoid asthma triggers. A number of outdoor allergens and irritants—ranging from pollen and mold to cold air and air pollution—can trigger asthma attacks. Find out what causes or worsens your asthma, and take steps to avoid those triggers.” And on risk factors: “A number of factors are thought to increase your chances of developing asthma. These include blood relatives (parent or sibling); having a similar illness such as hay fever; being overweight; being a smoker; exposure to second hand smoke; having a mother who smoked while pregnant; exposure to exhaust fumes; occupational triggers such as chemicals used in farming, hairdressing and manufacturing.” From the above we note that asthma cannot be cured and they don’t know what
causes it. Yet, environmentalists are claiming that global warming is the culprit. The claim that asthma is caused by global warming and air pollution is bunk! Our air Ozone levels have been decreasing on a yearly basis. Consistently, our Ozone levels are reducing at a very impressive rate. Yet, asthma levels are doing the reverse. They are increasing. It becomes quite obvious that dirty air and Ozone are not factors causing asthma. It is something else and our medical industry can’t seem to figure it out. But one thing is certain: There is no correlation between asthma and our climate and our climate continues to improve because of improved technology and discipline. Despite the improving environment, the environmentalists continue their campaigns to hurt our industries and reduce our economic prowess. They are stopping millions of potential jobs and thousands of new businesses starting up and contributing to the economic growth of our great nation. This is more than the story of “Chicken Little,” this is a direct attempt to cripple America. They feel that we are too big and too strong. Shame on us for achieving and maintaining greatness. They want to reduce our “carbon foot-
Beyond the Rhetoric
print,” which means a lesser economy, fewer jobs, a smaller military to defend ourselves and protect the peace in the world. They believe that America as the number one nation in the world is selfish and we should surrender our status. Environmentalism is a tool to defeat us and, my people, I and my ilk will fight with every breath we take to stop this assault. They want to slow us down and make us vulnerable to the bad guys. The bad guys who actually really pollute with a vengeance that is far greater than what we do. China, India, Russia, etc. are the biggest polluters in the world and don’t care about it. Meanwhile, the environmentalists are attacking us—the ones who use improved technology to better serve our land, water and air. Secretary of State John Kerry has even admonished our African nations about building their infrastructures. He says they “must lessen their carbon footprint.” Secretary Kerry please send that logic straight to hell. Africa’s day of development has arrived. Their quality of life and economic status are going to improve greatly and without providing any damage to our environment. The United States has a vested interest in this as new friends—stronger and better is what we need. Build on America and pay no attention to the phony environmentalists. (Harry C. Alford is the co-founder, president and CEO of the National Black Chamber of Commerce®.Website: www.nationalbcc.org Email: halford@nationalbcc.org.)