A Not-So-New Technology That Now Makes Most Mailing Lists Obsolete

Since you are reading this blog, you are possibly familiar with a fairly new technology named RSS, Atom, and/or XML feeds.

The technology allows you to stay current without visiting a lot of different webpages and allows you to choose to read items that interest you once you have found a website that generally produces content such as articles and news that you are interested in.

Once you have located such a website, then subscribing to their RSS or Atom feed (both use XML technology) requires a RSS reader which typically scrolls the headlines or titles for each article.

Some readers even provide a short introduction to the articles as a pop up window.

For Yahoo! users, the My Yahoo! page offers such feeds for you to subscribe to.

I have placed a lot of various methods for you to subscribe to this blog within the right margin through the various icons that you see listed.

Two RSS readers that I am currently using are add-ons to the Firefox web browser.

One reader is called InfoRSS. I really like it since it scrolls right to left at the bottom of your monitor and does not take up too much monitor space.

You can skip to the next feed that you have subscribed to, click on a headline to see a pop up short introduction, or double click the headline to read the full article, blog entry, or mailing list message (depending on the content that you have subscribed to).

Another RSS reader that I use when I get tired of looking at headlines at the bottom of a page or when I really want to find something interesting to read is Sage.

Sage opens a sidebar frame within Firefox just as whenever you would click the History icon within MS Internet Explorer.

Virtually all of the Yahoo! Groups mailing lists can now be subscribed to as RSS feeds.

I really have not experimented to see if the RSS feeds will work for a closed, subscription-only mailing list or to see what exclusivity there is possible.

But as one technology cliche' goes, all information wants to be free. This is the essence of open access, open source, or whatever is the opposite of the we-must-keep-secrets-at-all-costs mindset formed and taken to absurd heights during the Cold War era.

Unfortunately, many within and external to the Bond have caught this cancerous disease and when organizations are involved, the entire system of classifying information as secret or esoteric loses its focus and then everything such as a take-out menu may be classified as top secret as happened within a federal intelligence agency.

One forward-looking beauty of RSS feeds is that they can effectively reduce the number of hands that a piece of information has to go through to reach each traditional mailing list member.

Control freaks hate this but RSS feeds allow the opportunity to reduce any time delays or past behaviors such as having to log in or start up an e-mail program.

RSS feeds are probably already available on some cell phones and I know that they are available on any smartphone or PDA.

Every media outlet or organization that produces a lot of content and information is trying to make their information as mobile as possible without requiring one to being tethered to a desktop computer to gain access.

But the way that RSS feeds will work to a greater benefit within dynamic learning organizations is through the usage of tags which are used to pinpoint or clarify what a piece of content is about.

This is an introduction that I am now proposing is to be used throughout the Bond.

One of the best places to get turned onto tags is through websites that offer collaborative networking of links such as Del.icio.us (pronounced as Delicious) and Technorati. Photos can even be thrown into the mix with a website such as Flickr.

Virtually every new piece of software being created within the past 18 months has or will include RSS feeds in some manner.

Instead of Brothers sending out an e-mail to a mailing list of a website or photo or piece of news that they have found interesting, they can choose to "tag" the media content instead and then it will become immediately available to the entire Bond.

The key is therefore to know what tags or keywords will be most likely used by Brothers.

Tags that I have used include: Kappa Alpha Psi (for the places that will allow the usage of separate words), kappaalphapsi, Kappa+Alpha+Psi (in some cases), nupe, nupes, yoursinthebond, nnlb or the name of an undisclosed website created last month.

This technology is so dynamic that it will be incorporated into every aspect of the internet and become an assumed option that is available to all.

Anywhere that a RSS feed is available, a tag can be used to accurately describe it and allow it to be sent wherever someone might be interested in receiving it.

A sports fan could see sports information while a joke fan could obtain jokes without infringing on the territory of the other one.

Since photos can be tagged as well as podcasts, video blogs, and textual blogs can be tagged as a website URL, all of these can be converted into a RSS feed without any additional effort.

This is the real beauty of the technology. Go to Del.icio.us and Technorati at a minimum and create a free account and start tagging the various websites, photos, and anything else that you run across.

Remember that you can create tags that use your own name, city, chapter's name, college/university, line name, semester of initiation, province, committee, and anything other keyword that you and others will think of in order to share information.

A tag is really more important than a domain name at this point and we will probably incorporate this doctrine into my own company efforts as a result.

The keyword that you use as a tag will then become the password of the hub for various people. You can have multiple tags for a single website or content as well.

Technorati is basically a form of a search engine (like Google, Yahoo, MSN, and others you know) that is centered around tags and you can find news and websites and other stuff that interest you all without having to subscribe to a mailing list and receiving a ton of e-mail messages.

I am no longer concerned about spam, having to delete messages, receiving unwanted and/or inappropriate messages, and/or conserving hard drive space after obtaining a Gmail account. The amount of space keeps growing and if I ever catch up to the maximum amount, then something else needs to really be done such as an intervention on one end or another.

I now have directed virtually all of my various e-mail accounts to flow through Gmail since it has one of the best spam filters I have ever seen that is available for free. If you need or want an invitation to obtain a free Gmail account, just let me know and consider it done regardless of whether we actually know one another or have met.

If you have unknowingly made your e-mail address available to others, then you really need a Gmail account more than you think. You can even change the settings so that your outgoing messages are using the e-mail address that you already have been using. It is simply amazing.

But a few final thoughts on RSS feeds and XML technology.

I foresee that various websites and mailing lists will begin to identify the central keywords that stand out in the minds of their visitors and subscribers. The keywords should be placed on a page within the website or a page should be created that reflects the various feeds and tags already identified.

I will be definitely creating such pages for the various websites and mailing lists that I am a part of.

XML is a form of HTML that allows databases to be manipulated as web pages (or even e-mail in my opinion).

Therefore, the usage of RSS and Atom feeds, and XML technology works to speed up the distribution of information while minimizing the number of potential choke points needed to screen the information.

A mailing list is now best used to:

1. eliminate unwanted noise (spam); or

2. reduce opportunities for Brothers to be heard; or

3. focus minds on a particular topic or issue.

All of the above best practices for a mailing list naturally depend on the mental state and leadership capability of the mailing list owner(s) and/or moderator(s) as we all have recently noticed as absent within the NN and KF.

There are no bureaucratic coalition opportunities with tags, RSS feeds, and XML technology however. Hallelujah!

Yours in the Bond!

Will Kappa Pass Similar Tests?

Today's blog entry on my personal blog describes what is going on both physically and spiritually around the world and it is one that all Kappas need to be mindful of and it is entitled "Harden Not Your Hearts In This Season or Else!"

Yours in the Bond!

Bureaucracy Is The Enemy!

With the recent events of this month and last month, I now realize that bureaucracy is the enemy indeed.

I was just being directed to approach the problem with my talents and passion in a very unique and aggressive way that some may wish to either control or be able to review in advance when they do not have the power or authority to do so anyway.

Since some topics are easily witnessed within Kappa, then they will be addressed within this blog and other avenues created and discovered online and offline.

Other topics will be addressed within my personal blog at http://blog.roneysmith.com or http://roneysmith.blogspot.com (both point to the same blog).

Bureaucracy is the greatest threat to achievement that I have learned. Bureaucracy and leadership failures create, cooperate, and reinforce one another.

Right now in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there are more than enough places to observe and provide insights on the problems and share solutions to correct and prevent from happening in the future.

But rest assured, everything that is visible and will become known has already or is happening within organizations worldwide and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. is not immune whether anyone wants to admit it or not.

Dirty laundry then just becomes the clothes that you wear (publicly or privately) regardless of the opportunity to wash them privately or not (the public airing or washing cannot be avoided regardless).

So if the comments seem to be coming a little slow on this blog, just check out the other one.

Yours in the Bond!

Kappa's Own Hurricane Katrina

It seems that I have been offline after taking a low blow from a psychopath, but I will see my name positively cleared in multiple ways.

The number of Brothers joining a new mailing list has been increasing and there seems to be a fresh round of encouragement flowing.

But my main concern is mobilizing an effort for the hurricane survivors and the mindsets that contribute to the poor response time in emergencies period.

I will need to revisit this post later but one main point is that within emergencies, you do not have the luxury to study the problems facing you as you have in times of peace.

Managers need to study problems since the lack of real leadership causes the levels of understanding to take longer periods of time.

Cornbread, Consequences, & Repercussions!

As portrayed in the 1999 prison comedy movie entitled "Life" with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, somebody touched my cornbread and turned around and got others to willingly and intentionally touch my cornbread whether they knew that I directly knew or indirectly would find out from the recording devices that were and are available.

They should have gotten their own cornbread by working as hard as I have since graduating college in 1987 in order to get the cornbread that is unquestionable, undeniable, and beyond reproach whether contains benefits, opinions, opportunities, desires, needs, and wants others find or may find right or wrong.

What is my cornbread you ask? My cornbread is my never-before-fully-understood-and-appreciated-by-myself ability to keep secrets and not betray the confidence of anyone.

I do not know how or why my cornbread was created and given to me by God.

I do not know the hows and whys some of the secrets I have been entrusted with are placed within my hands since they are all over the moral, legal, and ethical spectrum.

But I do know that my cornbread has been touched, somebody was looking at it a little too hard and others starting feeling as if my cornbread was within reach and foolishly coveted my cornbread for themselves.

Take me out of the equation and ask yourself the following question: what would you expect out of any doctor, psychologist, counselor, teacher, instructor, coach, minister, pastor, financial advisor, banker, corporate executive, HR and payroll department personnel, or anyone that deals with personal lives, health, and wealth as a result of someone touching or staring down their cornbread?

Society expects no less from the above individuals and my resume is loaded with my past, present, and future participation as such!

For example if I asked someone the following question on a public microphone or forum, how would they successfully answer it without being having their character defamed in the process?

John Doe, are you still beating your wife?

Even if John says no, then the assumption is laid on the table that he was beating his wife.

We would clearly expect John to follow up legally by some means to protect his cornbread.

Even if John's protection and defense of his cornbread produced the consequences and repercussions of others losing their own cornbread through their own actions conducted without duress from anyone as individuals and through their own inactivities by not posting appropriate warning signs that no lifeguard is on duty and leaving access to the beach or pool widely open and available, then their cornbread is just like poker and roulette chips placed on the table.

As Kenny Rogers' song "The Gambler" said:

"You gotta know when to hold them,
know when to fold them,
know when to walk away and know when to run.

You never count your money while sitting at the table
There's plenty time for countin' when the dealing's done"

Now as General Maximus told one of his commanders within the movie "Gladiator", it is time to "Unleash Hell!"

From the window to the wall, the roof is on fire, there is no water, and you know the rest;)

One thing can be unequivocally said about closed systems and environments---they never seem to have enough fire exits when needed.

This is another reason that I have chosen open access as an operating method for some of my online efforts.

When the questions were repeatedly raised whether there were clearly identifiable infractions, no one either found any or provided the URL where they existed AND STILL EXIST!

Opinions and sentiments should not have persuaded some to feel justified and entitled to cyberhaze, defame the character, libel, and negatively impact the cornbread of another.

Yours in the Bond!

New Internet Policy to Protect Kappas Online and Offline

It is my personal prediction that an official, new Executive Order, internet policy, or official legislation directly from Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. will be created as a result of the cyberhazing, libel, and defamation of character that I have recently experienced and am currently fighting back in order to protect individual Brothers and/or provide guidelines for legitimate members' online conduct while not infringing upon the right of the individual to free speech.

Such unofficial and illegal actions of members (as hazing cases always involve) clearly impacts the official body and the official body cannot afford to imply consent by inactivity or through the failure to provide adequate oversight.

A new internet policy has been created and posted on an undisclosed website for members only.

Anyone else that wishes to receive a copy of it should contact me
directly.

Hopefully, no one else will have to go through such activity online that offline implications in the future.

Yours in the Bond!

Training for Management? I Think Not

Our motto is "Training for Leadership", but what happens when one actually falls within the mold of "Training for Management"?

As there a ton of resources and documents to define the differences between being a leader and a manager, one of the surest ways to determine which mode of operating you are witnessing or a part of is whether there is the presence of fear within your operating environment.

Managers operate from a fear-based perspective versus a faith-based perspective. This is not to say that a religious doctrine is the main ingredient, but managers essentially work to save face through pride, maintain a level of security, and not take any risks that might challenge the status quo.

After all, a manager earned their position by not rocking the boat and going along to get along. A leader is chosen to usher the organization from its current position to a preferred, more suitable, and highly desired position (an oasis and place of abundance if you will).

Does management have a place within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.? Sure it does as it relates to maintaining the achievements of the past in terms of ensuring that our resources and assets are safe guarded and that our storehouses are not needlessly suffering decay, expiration, and theft.

But even managers have to fulfill the expectations of being trained and training others for leadership. It compromises the organization when a manager is more concerned whether their inefficiencies are going to be exposed or that someone else becomes a threat to their position.

There is a difference between being a manager and having to practice management. But being a leader and practicing leadership is the same.

Managers love bureaucracy because it defines who has power and who does not. Managers love organizational charts, PowerPoint slides, corporate speak, and a polished, professional appearance, a poker face, predesignated decorum, conformity, and sticking to the regular routine.

This is not to say that leaders are to be unprofessional by any means, but that leaders love authentic conversations.

Leaders love to know what is on your mind, how your family is doing, what is going on in your life, and what do you think we should do?

Managers want to know where their seat is located on the dais, when are you going to announce and introduce them, why isn't everybody standing when I enter the room, and where is the private dining room?

Managers also want to know where is my entourage, where is my security detail, where are the cameras, where is my place up front for the photo shoot, who is this person at the microphone, why wasn't I briefed in advance that this threat was going to surface, why didn't somebody tell me who I was dealing with, who is trying set me up and take my position, what chapter are they affiliated with, are they planning to run for my office, what is the best way to get revenge, why is this person touching me, when did they become a member, and who signed off on allowing them my time to talk.

Managers will definitely want to know how well you know and are versed in Robert's Rules of Order and the laws, regulations, constitution, by-laws, statutes, amendments, line items, history, and spirit of the laws of the land.

Ask a leader a difficult question and he or she will bring you closer to them for an answer. Ask a manager a difficult question and they will push you further away.

Managers absolutely wage war than to be seen not having an answer or to sweat in public.

Managers either chase ambulances and/or are driving them;)

The presence of fear makes people do crazy things.

As a leader, we have to wage war to defend ourselves and the helpless, but managers typically wage battles to advance their cause in the short-term while losing the war.

Paranoia becomes their best friend once the crown is placed on their heads. They were already crazy, but the difference is that they now have a tastetester for everything;D)

"Training for Management" should be one of the best punch lines jokingly (although it might be a cruel joke as well) used within our Bond. This is an inside joke that popped in my head this morning when remembering past managers within and external to the Bond.

I too was trained for management and I was very successful at it until I escaped from the plantation;))

My first job after college was as a restaurant manager for a South Carolina based chain named Quincy's that would compare and compete with Golden Corral, Shoney's, and Sizzler (if they still exist).

The restaurant location where I worked is now closed. It had too many managers and not enough leaders.

I was hooked up with the initial introduction by one of my Sands who worked there and moved up through the ranks from dishwasher to cook. All of this occurred in the late 80s.

As time progressed before, during, and after my tenure there, a ton of Nupes from my undergraduate chapter who worked there. We had an assembly line of people from my college working there as well.

Even though I received 4 weeks of training, managers all up and down the chain of command all said that there was the textbook training and the real world way of doing things.

Needless to say as a recent graduate and having just made the direct transition from undergraduate polemarch to alumni advisor for the same chapter, I needed to keep my job in a city where it was not too common for a Black male to occupy such a position.

It was one of those "good jobs" as many would say.

But I was miserable. I had to work virtually every weekend and had to do everything within my power just to stay employed. If the highest-ranked manager (who actually got his job as a result of the restaurant's CEO / company founder attending the same college and was his fraternity brother as well) had something he wanted done when he wanted it done, I was in no position to say no.

I did not feel any level of security whatsoever.

But over time, I quickly learned what i's needed to be dotted, t's crossed, and what to say if I was ever backed into a corner. CYA was taught to us by the corporate trainer and this doctrine of self-preservation was adhered to like a lifeline.

Yes, my name is Roney Smith and I am a recovering manager;)

I've been there and have the t-shirts, caps, and tattoos to prove it. So whenever I am in a conversation, I can instantly tell whether I am talking to a manager or a leader.

It was not until I sought to regain my own sanity and self-esteem after reaching the point of I am not taking this anymore, did the situation change in my life. I seized the opportunity to become a math teacher and have my weekends and summers for other nonworking concerns.

But you know what? Managers were found in the school district and education as an industry as well. Managers are found whenever and wherever organizations exist.

You cannot run away from them since then are usually one of the first to always volunteer for positions of power:))

This is another clue on how to identify managers: managers tend to volunteer a lot (no, excessively) in order to jockey for power.

Being an early adopter is one thing, but being a crack head for position and power is something else:)

Is there a resolution? Yes, there is.

Everyone must realize that there is an ebb and flow to being the leader or manager of any organization. There is a time and place for both roles and having the wisdom to know when leadership is required and when management is preferred is the most critical key of all.

Again, there is a difference between being a manager and having to practice management. But being a leader and practicing leadership is the same.

So the next time you are in the presence of a manager, smile, laugh when you return to your car, and say a prayer for them. They really need it for the misery they are in and the torture that they are putting others through.

When you are in the presence of a leader, you will feel empowered to empower others, sense a degree of security and progression to higher levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and no fear and doubt will be tolerated.

Here are some links to articles written on the psychopaths and sociopaths who are managers within corporate American in Fast Company magazine and a quiz to find out if you are working for, with, and/or have to report to one.

An all-time list of bosses from hell and a coping mechanism appears as well.

If it walks like a manager and talks like a manager, then it is time to say AFLAC and save a lot of money on your car insurance with GEICO;))

The ultimate put-downs to truthfully say when you meet a manager: you are a well-trained manager or you manage it very well;)

Then listen for how much they cannot get enough and gloat with their corporate talk:D)

For your further enjoyment, here is a movie recommendation about the way managers think entitled "Office Space". I do warn you in advance that you will need some Kleenex tissue or an oxygen tank from laughing so hard;)



Yours in the Bond!

What's The Missing Ingredient? A Kappa Career or Lifestyle Path!

The morning has started off very well considering I feel energized by putting petty jealousies from others behind me.

One unpredictable byproduct of recent events is that I have found or rediscovered my voice and undeniable potential to get Kappa in better shape than when I found it. I also learned that I was not alone in my sentiments and out there all on my own.

When accusations come your way, it is very difficult to not wonder what was indeed present to make another feel justified or entitled to hurl such ordinance your way.

But jealousy weakens and does not empower the jealous versus the object of their envy. Jealousy does not empower and green eyes do not always wear well with the bright red Kappa blazer!

If it were possible, I would have to get a restraining order against the mindset "if I can't have you, then no one will";)

This brings me to the place to remember what it was like as a young 18 year old college freshman to sit within interest group meetings and listen to what Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. had to offer and the benefits the members were enjoying.

Upon crossing the Burning Sands, my Sands and I enjoyed the consuming joy of Brotherly Love and we did not have to go Philadelphia to experience it!

But after the membership certificate and identification card arrived, to this day I have not seen evidence that no initiate before, during, or after my initiation has received a career path or track that we should look to either implement or synthesize into the rest of our lives.

I know that some would say that Kappa is not a job or career or military tour, but most organizations that have a long-term desire to stay in existence have some type of history of progressing its constituents from point A to point B and so on for the rest of their lives.

I know clearly that a career path does not exist for the way our Senior Kappas are not fully engaged to their maximum capacities to contribute their wisdom to the Bond as well as receive a new level of personal security that they never have experienced before within their lives.

I might sound idealistic, but what a wonderful world it would be if Senior Kappas and their families (especially those with empty nests) would receive the attention and care that one's grandparents (or these days great-grandparents) might normally receive and expect.

I know that within the past days of yore, it would not be too uncommon for a Brother to send some Scrollers to mow the lawn for a Senior Kappa. For goodness sake, my Sands and I even did the same for the polemarch of the local alumni chapter who was clearly young enough to take care of his wife's "Honeydew" list on his own.

I am not complaining by any means because he hooked all of us up with a serious cookout and video that I would almost kill for just to see today if it still exists (21 years later). He did get thrown on the grill with the full trimmings after the word got back to the rest of the alumni chapter;) But I digress.

I know that our legal counsel would not consent to revisiting such days, but my point is that we need to take better care of our own ON OUR OWN and not only remember Senior Kappas but all who reside within the communities that we cherish.

The truth is that without a designated career (or lifestyle) path in place for the entire organization, we are leaving the most vulnerable fully exposed to find their own way.

I know that in some circles there are no lack of solid mentors, but overall the statistics and common sense have been tapping on our foreheads for decades to realize that a revolving door was built by somebody somehow and for some reason considered legitimate at the time.

A career or lifestyle path (I will use the latter name from now on) would not only serve to retain our precious human capital, but also educate and inform our newly initiated and current human capital that it will have the responsibility of taking care of its past members, its young, and receive the same care from an uninitiated generation when their days of youthful vigor defer to the days where the probability of joining the Chapter Invisible greatly increase.

With such a lifestyle plan, Brothers would be able to see what is expected of everyone and identify where they are within the plan as both a giver and receiver.

Continued membership would then be reinforced and the Kappa lifestyle loop would be closed versus the existing U-turn that revolving doors emphasize.

With all of this said, let's explore a brief "what if" scenario.

In the absence of a lifestyle path, what if every initiate was required to either be polemarch or a committee chair on all levels (local chapter, province, and Grand Chapter) upon crossing the Burning Sands?

Immediately unless they were informed otherwise, a ton of new initiates would make a valiant attempt to perform the roles and tasks required of them.

It would take the bravest of the group to openly tell the Bond that they are not prepared, capable, or fully equipped to handle such responsibilities.

It would take the most courageous to say that they do not have all of the answers while attempting to fulfill the requirements and expectations.

But isn't this the same case and situation where we find ourselves today regardless of when and where we were initiated, our past life experiences, and career history?

There are a ton of offices, committee chairmanships, and other roles filled by well meaning but ill prepared personalities and egos.

When was the last time we heard or it was recorded by an officer, committee chair, or anyone else that someone said "I do not have all of the answers, but here I am and this is what I will attempt to do" and "Brothers, I need your help"?

I would love to see an online search feature of past editions of public such as The Journal and private documents to see if such statements have been made. If they have, then they were not expressed loud and clearly enough to reach the lower levels where I reside;)

If they were announced within the environment that has existed up to now, a riot of the highest magnitude would immediately break out or a political coup would be launched like a cruise missile. Forget about impeachment or asking someone to step down in such a situation, the order of the day would be revolution and the head of the king must roll;)

Without a lifestyle path, our individual and collective success is really more the exception than the rule.

The nature of these thoughts and this blog entry center around training, indoctrination, education, and learning more than anything else.

No one is to blame, it just happened. But now a better way does indeed exist. The expertise is already present to create such a plan. All we have to do is make the need known and make ourselves available to their wisdom and counsel without demonizing those who propose such plans as commonly occurs.

As an individual, I do not have all the answers and I am brave or foolish enough to say it;)

One of the gatekeepers that have kept us in such a situation is that we have the belief or have brainwashed ourselves with the repeated variety of statements "All diamonds are the same size and/or my diamond is no better than your diamond" or something to this effect.

I agree with the statement as it applies to rights of membership, but what should happen if you send me today to pilot the plane when the previous pilot just got sick or has died?

I don't know about you, but I have my eternal life insurance paid in full;)

As the joke goes, if the pilot's time is up and dies does that mean that everybody's time is up?

Who can I turn to and ask to receive training or a plan without being made to feel as if I just signed up for a lower degree or class of membership?

Where can I receive counseling, assistance, and guidance after experiencing the war of daily life and now have untreated post traumatic stress syndrome from being isolated and not being able to ask for help.

A lifestyle plan would help remedy some of these ills that we are facing within our own minds and within our own corners of the world.

The bravery needed to step out and step up may not be there in massive numbers yet.

But we must reward each courageous one that signs up for the continued education, lifetime learning, and reaccreditation class or syllabus.

Or should we form a support group or 12-step process without a leader?

Man of Kappa Alpha Psi, either create a lifestyle plan or submit something that the lifestyle plan should include today.

This Bond is Yours!

Yours in the Bond!

Must See TV: Current.tv Network

Check out my review on this new television network on my personal blog!

Then locate the channel on your satellite or cable provider.

Yours in the Bond!

One Man One Vote (OMOV) Is Simply The Right Thing To Do

Aside from issues operating on a microlevel, the concept of One Man One Vote (OMOV) addresses a critical flaw within our organization's attempt to mimic the organizational structure of the United States.

Our country has used representative democracy as a necessity due to the same reasons any other entity uses it: the cost of keeping all interested parties informed has been too high for individuals to willingly pay and to avoid the high cost of inactivity when communications are not readily available.

The argument can be made that through the internet things are different, but our fellow citizens have not reached the mindset of being willing to part with voting via hardcopy ballots and voting through the internet or some other technological method of voting.

As Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and other organizations have attempted to emulate America's form of representative democracy, one critical component included with the America's form of representative democracy has been woefully omitted.

Each state as a geographical entity and intermediate level has a governor that is voted upon and consequently selected by the residents of that state and geographical area.

The similar role and position within our Fraternity is that of a provincial polemarch who is selected by the Grand Polemarch (who occupies a role and position similar to that of the President of the United States of America).

Some have given their opinion that it is strategically weak to include electing provincial polemarchs as a reason to justify supporting OMOV, but whether one argument is the chicken or the egg of the other is irrelevant.

One cannot be used to exclude the other. You cannot continually support the current organizational structure or claim that we operate under a representative form of democracy as long as the provincial polemarch are not voted upon by Brothers of the reflected province.

What kind of form of democracy do we have therefore one may ask?

I do not know and when one of us finds the answer, we should inform the other;)

A few forms of government that come to mind which do not allow voting on all levels include a theocracy and a dictatorship.

Members of a theocratic governmental structure fully accept the theological doctrine and essentially believe that their leaders are chosen by God as revealed to man.

With the amount of Brothers who have various religious beliefs, backgrounds, and current practices, no one to my knowledge has ever attempted to put a specific theological spin within modern officers and appointed positions.

We have not yet seen the wave of evangelical Christians or another similar or even opposing set of values fully or partially sweep through Kappa Alpha Psi.

Within a dictatorship, no one has the power or capacity to openly argue or disagree with their leadership and how they are placed into power.

As a result, I will have to conclude that Kappa Alpha Psi operates with a hybrid governmental structure unconsciously while our members currently accept the belief that provincial polemarchs are chosen by God as revealed to the Grand Polemarch.

As a minister, I believe the Holy Bible where it states that all power comes from God.

Representative democracies, theocracies, and dictatorships have to come from God as a result on initial deduction but even this line of thinking is wrong.

The places where it seems to appear that God is not in control are the places where someone has either consciously chosen not to follow God or has not been informed that there is a God and that He has a better way of living and being organized.

More than likely, our Bond has gotten comfortable with the past efficiencies of the form of representative democracy practiced and the appointment of provincial polemarchs.

Now through the power of the same God, the internet and other tools have been created to allow a more perfect form of government to be observed, studied, implemented, and practiced.

The bottom line is that to state that we have a perfect form of representative democracy practiced is faulty.

To more closely follow the example of America, we must allow our provincial polemarchs to be voted upon by the members of the province, and allow OMOV to become a reality.

Otherwise, we do not have the same degree of checks and balances as found within the US Constitution and other historical documents that have served to guide our country.

Right now, provincial polemarchs are really closer to presidential appointed judges at the Supreme Court and lower and regional federal courts.

But even these appointees have to be confirmed or the president places them into power during periods where the congress is not in session or available.

Has our current form of representative democracy been consciously and fully accepted as implying that our congress (chapter delegates currently and entire Body eventually) is not in session or unavailable?

I say that the Bond is in session and is available!!

To have a province polemarch serve as both a federal (provincial) judge and a congressional legislator is clearly a break away from the form of representative democracy practiced by America.

Again, OMOV and/or the election of provincial polemarchs must become a part of the annual fabric of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. whether they are implemented at the same time or one occurs before the other.

Yours in the Bond!

How To Create A Placemark for Any Location You Desire

The following steps are for anyone who wants to know the GPS coordinates (earth's latitude and longitude) for a location.

1. Go to Google Maps http://maps.google.com

2. Click on AutoCoords On

3. Enter the address that you are trying to find the GPS coordinates
(latitude and longitude) within the search box and click the SEARCH
button.

4. Click the Satellite icon to see the location as viewed from a
satellite in outer space.

5. Click the x within the pop up window to close the window hovering
over the search location returned.

6. Click the Plus sign (+) in order to zoom in on the location returned.

In a lot of cases, the results will show your specific area but not
the exact location you are trying to find. As a result, just start
entering a different street number and see how much closer to your
preferred location the placemark appears.

7. After entering a new street number, go back to step 4 and repeat
the process until your preferred location is positively identified by
the placemark that appears.

8. Copy and paste the coordinates which will appear within the
following format: geotagged geo:lat=33.804176 geo:lon=-84.515762
wherever else you may need to use them.

You may avoid having the write or manually type the information
elsewhere by clicking the link "Link to this page" and select "Copy
link location".

Then paste the link wherever else you may want to use it. It will
appear in the following format:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1+georgia+dome+drive,+atlanta,+ga+30313&ll=33.804176,-84.515762&spn=0.003820,0.007522&t=k&hl=en

One suggestion is to e-mail the link to yourself within a free e-mail
service such as Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, or Gmail. This method will then
allow you to retrieve the information from any internet connected
computer at will.

New Significant Milestone via Google Earth and Google Maps!

We have reached a significant milestone with an undisclosed website designed for Nupes only.

Through the use of Google Earth and Google Maps, you can now locate a wide variety of information and view it on a satellite map and gain a greater perspective on what changes need to be made and how to use the data.

We have incorporated these technologies to create Kappa-oriented technologies for the Bond.

We fully expect to see other entities and levels of organization within and external to Kappa Alpha Psi do the same.

Visit the undisclosed website and witness the tip of the iceberg as it relates to being able to see where the Bond exists within a three-dimensional format.

Feel free to add your information as well.

Yours in the Bond!

A Defining Fork in the Road

Here is an e-mail that was sent to me at 8:20 a.m. on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 by a party that will not be named.

I have never written about Brothers' personal lives as the e-mail accuses me of.

As a result, both the NupeNet and KappaForum have been compromised by the integrity of its 2-man team leadership. Both mailing lists are controlled by the same parties.

Power in the hands of a few is truly a dangerous thing.

This is clearly another reason for supporting One Man One Vote (OMOV) as it applies to the whole of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Since the threat of online expulsion has been laid on the table and I clearly predicted that it would eventually be hysterically raised by someone having an Alpha fit, I sincerely imagine that I will be released from any further obligations that I have complied with as it applies to both online forums.


I did not know before, during, or after crossing the Burning Sands that I would eventually become a certified and recognized revolutionary within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

If this is now my lot and mantle, all I can say is "Hallelujah"!

Any Brothers that wish to read any more of my blog entries or thoughts will have to either revisit this website, subscribe to its RSS/Atom feed, join one or more of the mailing lists that were previously created, or contact me directly.

It has been a great 11 years as being one of the charter members of the NupeNet in 1994, a former speaker at a Grand Chapter session on the internet and NupeNet itself in Detroit in 1997, but this is clearly a defining fork in the road.

I cannot imagine or believe that I or any other Brother of my past, present, and future would expect me to capitulate and compromise at this point in time.

It may be my destiny for another day, but today is not that day!

Yours in the Bond!

*******************

Dear Brother Smith,

I recently noticed that your blog at http://www.yoursinthebond.com includes
references to a number of topics which were discussed on KappaForum or the
NupeNet. You have also included with your blog entries the thoughts,
opinions and statements that other brothers expressed on KappaForum and the
NupeNet.

I further note that your blog is open to members of the public, i.e., it is
not restricted only to members of Kappa Alpha Psi.

This is a violation of KappaForum and NupeNet protocol. Every member of
KF/NN has the expectation that their conversations will stay with Kappa.
This policy is necessary to ensure open and candid discussions.
Furthermore, airing Kappa-internal discussions on a public website is a
violation of Kappa protocol.

I note this issue has been raised with you and has not received a positive
response. You have stated, among other things, that you intend to continue
using an "open" platform so that persons outside Kappa who have similar
issues can also benefit from your comments.

Brother Smith, you are welcome to express your opinions and respond to
discussion on KappaForum and NupeNet, however, the appropriate place to do
this is on KappaForum and/or NupeNet, not on a public website. The KF/NN
Management Committee cannot allow members to breach their obligations of
confidentiality, since this would permanently damage the forums' primary
function of fostering communication strictly between members of Kappa Alpha
Psi. Violating confidentiality in this manner would be cause for removal
from KappaForum and NupeNet.

Please remove from your blog any material that references KF/NN discussions
or includes information or statements that you learned from KF/NN. Please
ensure this information is removed no later than the close of business
today.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours in the Bond,

You Got Served!!!

Yesterday's blog entry entitled "Immediate Revenue Opportunity for Grand Chapter: Member Authentication Services" served as a surprise catalyst for a hypocritical and uninformed character assassination attempt;)

After it appeared that the would-be assassin had reloaded since I was not immediately going down or going wherever the intent was to take me, I had to do an online check to see if my deodorant or mouth wash had somehow run out while I was suddenly thrown in a receiving line to meet the President, the Pope, and Mrs. Joe Jackson up close and personally without any prior notice;)

Nupes who have known me prior to crossing the Burning Sands as well as Nupes who I knew would tell me the unconditional truth and who I have shared personal and professional history prior to the beginning of the merger of the Internet and Kappadom in 1994 (prior to the NupeNet) all gave the same advice verbatim: the problem was not mine and my latest online endeavors were being completely misunderstood.

Even experts of the Constitution & Statutes and esoteric documents found me not guilty.

With the "Not Guilty" verdict being read in my favor, I was immediately galvanized and strengthened in mind and spirit.

The term "MAN UP" came to mind and my skin immediately got thicker. Needless to say, I am now loaded to the hilt and packing on every conceivable level.

As the hours away from the Monday attack passed, I had to revisit to determine what was the trigger that made it appear that somehow I was vulnerable?

My 11 years of being on the internet has taught me a ton about internet communications and online group dynamics.

One motive for everything was to throw some mud and hope that others would pile on without fully checking out the facts for themselves and even considering the history of the accuser. A few managed to wander into this territory recklessly and have damaged their long-term reputations severely as well as the accuser.

One cannot be accuser, judge, and jury without putting something on the line themselves.

Just ask Kenneth Starr if he can ever run or be nominated for public office as long as there is a Democratic Party. Others who ignore the warning signs do so at their own peril.

Brothers cannot hope to be in a position to reclaim and re-energize Brothers to return to the Bond or even seek or accept nominations to a higher office or role within the Fraternity when they have savagely tried to have another Brother declared unloyal, insincere, and less than worthy of membership.

The question is what should other Nupes think that you will do to them if they ever find themselves within the noncoveted position of being within your crosshairs?

Don't burn bridges while standing on them at a minimum!!!

Current presidential nominee John Bolton was called a kiss up and kick down type of guy and I see that others have been trying on his shoes unfortunately.

Pride does go before the fall and I will have to take a full day's vacation upon hearing them remotely apologize to me (you do not have to believe me) but apologize at a minimum to the witnessing Brothers within the online forum for their reckless actions and vagrant hostilities.

You know that they received your messages while one has to come to this website intentionally or intentionally subscribe to it.

I will refrain from using your name while keeping the right to free speech about my observations and what I have learned from the incident.

Now that the facts have been revealed, let's proceed to the history of the accuser.

It is now my firm conviction that the trigger was indeed yesterday's post as mentioned earlier.

What I did not realize fully until further review that when I mentioned the following statement would a lit match fall upon a megaton of a highly flammable liquid or drive directly over an IED:

"The concept is called open source.

I personally have chosen to follow the open source format versus a
closed environment in order to provide more Brothers an opportunity to
be connected, informed, entertained, and simply heard."

The analysis of this statement is highly classified to an untrained eye. But within the mind of someone who had the unfortunate and unintentional experience of appearing as a follower instead of a leader when a new website was recently launched, the statement is highly volatile.

Instinctively I made statements that my efforts were no threat to their new efforts and had even agreed to produce new and exclusive content on under their banner while reserving the right to continuing to work independently (I guess that by default through self-defense I turned down the opportunity to "fold" my efforts into theirs as originally requested).

Unfortunately an all-or-none mindset would not suffice for them.

The greater irony of all of this is that the new website uses the same philosophy (more the Open Source philosophy and applications can be found here) while it was advertised with the disguise of being an impenetrable fortress and oasis for Brothers.

I absolutely had no idea that yesterday's post was being viewed as directly or indirectly "calling out" the new effort as being highly flawed (which was not my intent by any means) while I did acknowledge that the post did have relevant criteria to be considered when viewing the new website on other issues.

Bottom line, the new website uses an open source software, files, templates, and scripts within its creation and maintenance. There is nothing closed or secure about it. This is the point that should have been raised, argued, and defended but instead the focus of the attack was this blog which is supposedly available for the entire world to view but having the readership of an informed and interested few.

Yesterday's post was about the need to authenticate members in order to provide greater security in terms of reducing and eliminating "any risks associated with any resources entrusted to the member or shared by the local chapter and/or brother(s)".

One of the primary reasons for consciously choosing to implement an "open source philosophy" in order to advance the goals and objectives of the Fraternity systematically while providing a larger number of individual Brothers a greater opportunity to be connected, informed, entertained, and simply heard as mentioned on multiple occasions can be found within a blog entry written on Wednesday, June 01, 2005 entitled "Write The Vision & Make It Plain!" where it stated:

"The nature of blogs is that they can be created at will, updated, revised as needed, and respond to comments and questions without having the readers subscribe to a mailing list."

People have too much e-mail hitting their inboxes whether they are indeed interested within the topics and subjects received or not.

The open source philosophy online or offline essentially works to keep those who want to know as informed as they want to be versus a closed environment that firmly requires that in order to have a voice, people as well as members have to join a local chapter, follow a chain of command in spite of it consistently producing a high rate of attrition, and adhering to an overall system regardless of it being broken, outdated, systematically ineffective, or even absolutely obsolete.

The open source philosophy allows as many interested parties to add as many positives and delete as many negatives as their creativity will allow without the handcuffs of bureaucratic command and control.

The pros and cons of open source philosophy should have been the focus of the consequent conversations but the real opportunity was temporarily missed.

In the aftermath of reviewing how the new website effort is also a child, an example, and proponent of the open source philosophy, to argue that a blog (that never claimed to be confidential, exclusive to a certain segment of society and the population, or secret) violates some principle or concept of Fraternity that does not exist truly warrants that someone start over from scratch as their current line of thinking is highly flawed.

As Ice Cube said and his words still ring true, "Check yourself before you wreck yourself".

Unfortunately a few completely played themselves and reveal themselves to be guilty of their own accusations.

What does the future hold as a result?

The Nupes that thought that the new website would be absolutely free from the outside eyes of the world have been sadly mistaken.

There is clearly a greater potential for the amount of spam to increase than any of my efforts.

All polls, surveys, and questionnaires that I have added undoubtedly require the skills of a better hacker than what is required to obtain the e-mail addresses of Brothers that chose to become registered members of the new website.

This is the correct argument that was raised unconsciously and unintentionally within yesterday's post and my hat does indeed go off to the accuser for ingeniously picking up on it when I did not.

I never have considered you an enemy while I cannot thank you enough for how much you drove home Christ's words as found within Luke 6:27-31 where it states:

27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

The same is also found within Matthew 5:44-48:

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Thank you for what you have done for me!

Yet I will make another attempt to help you and your efforts with the following recommendation and completely dare you to ignore it at your own peril:

Your website needs another domain name that will point to your current location.

You have received more than one e-mail (because I have seen them myself) to indicate that Brothers cannot remember it or that it has not struck an emotional chord to be fully remembered.

Put on your creative thinking hat or hats, go back to the drawing board, and come up with another name. The one that you have is simply not working as well as you think it is regardless of how you feel about the efforts you are witnessing here.

You do not have to replace the name you have while you do need a better name or else the website will not receive as many visitors as it could.

But in the meantime, I have added a link to your website on our unnamed and undisclosed URL to help you receive the missing traffic you desperately need and want plus insure that our own open source, undisclosed URL is not revealed although we (nor our visitors) will not suffer any damage if the URL was disclosed.

Consider it a friendly insurance policy going forward.

It is fully expected that you will maintain and enjoy the position of standing down and not further publicize this blog as recklessly as you attempted to.

Check and Checkmate!

Yours in the Bond!

Immediate Revenue Opportunity for Grand Chapter: Member Authentication Services

Within an earlier post entitled "The Internet Is Official Distribution Like It or Not", I mentioned the primary assets of each level of the Fraternity (local chapter, province, and Grand Chapter):

"The Grand Chapter's primary asset is the ability to certify that an individual is indeed a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. No other entity is able to effectively compete with GC's ability either.

The Grand Board and IHQ (as well as each level of organization) should never forget this. Lose this ability (especially within the courts due to hazing) and you might as well shut the doors and go home.

The primary asset of the provinces is the ability (granted by Grand Chapter and IHQ) to initiate individuals into membership within Kappa Alpha Psi.

The primary asset of chapters is the ability to select individuals for membership to be initiated by a province."

Over night, a new opportunity for potential streams of revenue from the assets listed above came to mind.

The idea is for a service that has been done in the past on a complimentary basis but I have seen evidence that a paid service has been developing for some time. But one irony is that official members have formed a captive audience and market with the willingness to pay for the service. Nothing indicates that the general public would care to pay for the service at this time.

The service is member authentication where the legitimacy of one previously unknown Kappa is verified by Grand Chapter for the benefit of another Kappa or local chapter.

Simply, Brothers and Chapters rightfully so within the modern age of technology and potential liabilities want to know if a Brother is really a Brother regardless of what personal knowledge the individual has of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

My first thought is that Grand Chapter would be the central clearinghouse to obtain such information.

All that would be needed in addition to the willingness to offer the service would be the official membership number, social security number (if this ever was recorded), and the current address (or zip code) of the purported member.

Two immediate benefits to Grand Chapter would be the ability to know where individual Brothers are always living and the resulting ability to maintain communications with them.

The immediate benefit to the inquiring Brother or Chapter is to reduce and eliminate any risks associated with any resources entrusted to the member or shared by the local chapter and/or brother(s).

But upon further contemplation of the concept, it appears that such a service is not restricted to being provided by Grand Chapter alone.

Provinces and local chapters could provide the same service but their speeds of providing the service might face a greater challenge to them.

Since provinces are the primary vehicles of initiating candidates for membership, it seems that they would have the same information during some part of the intake process.

Local chapters could provide the service as well if the chapter's records have been adequately maintained by past and present Keeper of Records.

The cost of a member authentication service would have to be kept low enough that if the cost was passed on the legitimate member, it would not be too prohibitive as compared to the benefits of legitimate membership and/or participation within any local chapter's activities.

A member authentication service could be paid via PayPal or credit card.

A derivative of the member authentication that I referenced earlier within this post is the fact that Grand Chapter now charges a fee to provide a roster of initiates of a particular chapter. This need is primarily for reunion and/or homecoming activities centered around a particular college or university's local chapter.

The possibility (although not confirmed) exists that a fee is also currently charged to local chapters wanting to know the names and addresses of nearby Brothers not affiliated with a local chapter for reclamation purposes.

Member authentication is only a sign of the times as the membership seeks to become more informed and connected through technology in ways previously not witnessed.

With the creation of more members-only websites created by individual Brothers (especially those that are currently vulnerable by having URLs to be only shared within the Bond), security and authentication of individual Brothers will always be a concern.

But even this entire idea could be made obsolete by Grand Chapter creating an official members only website where simply having the ability to log in would certify the Brother's identity. Such a website should include a photo of the Brother at a minimum as well as a record of past chapters affiliated with (and potentially offices and committee chairmanships held with other desirable information).

Since the revenue stream might be too good to resist, I imagine that charging a fee to authenticate members would occur first.

Yours in the Bond!

Harnessing the Power of the Internet

Yahoo! News has an article on blogging that shows the power of the internet and individuals in providing input for better a decision-making process.

The article includes the statement on the latest Supreme Court nominee process that is still applicable to any organization by Fordham University communications professor Paul Levinson. "But now with the Internet, we're in an environment where all the world's knowledge is available and can be brought to bear on an appointment. It democratizes the appointment process and brings the maximum number of human minds into the process."

This is how any organization could successfully return the power and rights of individuals versus trying to reach a political utopia through representative democracy.

One extreme or the other is not the way to go, but with a balance.

Trying to run a country or organization with the minimum number of human minds (and members) is clearly not the way to go.

There is indeed nothing to fear but fear itself.

Yours in the Bond!

The Internet Is Official Distribution Like It or Not

A recent decision regarding the distribution of proposed amendments for the upcoming Grand Conclave by the IHQ has gotten under the skin of more than a few Brothers.

In the past, the proposals were distributed via printed hardcopy and this year someone made the enlightened decision to distribute the proposals via the official Fraternity's website.

This is a decision that I fully applaud whether or not it can be debated that the stated Constitution & Statutes has been bent, broken, or manipulated. Bottom line, the spirit of past actions has been violated but at the price of maintaining a 21st century organization.

By using a means of the internet, the distribution of any document or multimedia file is an official declaration of transacting business and/or sharing information.

There is no possible need for anyone, any group, or any council to waste time in taking a vote to declare the internet as a means of official communication. No one made a motion to propose creating the internet and allowing various levels to communicate with IHQ within the various aspects and capacities already, so now the debate has already progressed beyond the various levels and individual Brothers regardless of their age and internet usage.

The internet makes a phase shift and a paradigm shift within the lives of individuals and organizations alike.

The decision to not maintain the non-cost effective and inefficient mailings of proposed amendments in hardcopy form clearly saved enough money this year alone to justify a hospitality suite within the upcoming Grand Conclave at a minimum;)

Even though I will not be there, I ain't mad at cha;))

This is an unique moment in history where the actual usage of the internet has caused a greater degree of difficulty within the membership versus the Grand Board and International Headquarters staff.

As members, we should be welcoming such moves versus criticizing them!

On the other hand, this milestone is a point of no return that the highest echelons within the Fraternity will not be able to back away from at all without expressing some statements that better go totally unsaid. Please do not open that can of worms even at gunpoint!!!

What does the decision to use the internet to distribute information regarding to the ongoing rules and regulations of the Fraternity ultimately mean?

Before I answer this question, let me state that it is a loaded question with a question and answer within the question itself.

The unstated, internal question and answer within the question is what are the primary assets of each level of organization within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.?

The primary assets are not restricted to Kappa alone either, but any organization that has traditionally had 3 levels of operations.

I was wondering a few weeks ago another question that I never heard raised or answered within my Fraternity experience within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

The question was: What business is Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. really in?

Our motto of "Training for Leadership" is not really the business that we are really in although it has a special place and credible purpose.

Achievement is and always will be our calling card. This is the fuse for each of the 3 levels of organization.

Let me make a riotous statement that I have recently realized and no one can convince me otherwise: YOUNG BROTHERS ESPECIALLY NEED SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN.

Achievement is a great calling card to attract potential members. But it then becomes the burden of each initiated member of the organization. If you are not achieving, you are on the sidelines not carrying your own weight.

This is why we had to change the focus of this blog several days ago.

I always wondered what made becoming a member of Kappa Alpha Psi an extremely high priority for African-American men who had recently graduated college within the 22 to 28 year old age range. But the same logic and rationale stands for older prospects as well although to a lesser degree.

What I have discovered is that the internal need is no different from those of us who heard it and actively responded while attending college. We were just a little more determined to get the need resolved period.

I know that there are some alumni-initiated members who did not have an undergraduate chapter on their campus for one reason or another. There are others whose grades did not allow them to seek membership within an undergraduate chapter. Others did not want to risk being hazed right or wrong. Some could not afford the initiation fees while attending college.

For all of the possible reasons of seeking membership, the greatest internal benefit of membership is that THERE IS AN OFFICIAL RECOGNITION AND CERTIFICATION RECEIVED that AN INITIATED INDIVIDUAL IS NOW AN ACHIEVER AND CAPABLE OF LEADERSHIP right or wrong.

It does not matter to answer the real question of whether Kappa is a legitimate organization to be able to certify anyone as an achiever and/or leader.

This is why and how the statement came to me that YOUNG MEN ESPECIALLY NEED SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN. In the past, I would usually vote no or abstain from voting for young men with the glazed look in their eyes that had this characteristic trait.

I could not fully support their decision to seek membership because I actually felt sorry for them.

It was a sad state of affairs for me to see someone willing to subjugate themselves in order to be recognized and/or certified as an adult and/or achiever.

But this is the way it is right or wrong. Right or wrong, all of us who are present members have had this same glazed look to some degree. We were either achievers at the high school level and were going to be achievers at the college level, and consequently wanted our track record to be certified as representing achievement (although the social benefits certainly did not harm one's reputation).

The same statement can be said about middle-aged and/or senior citizens who become Kappas. There is an intrinsic feeling that their legacy would be unfinished or tarnished by not having the stamp of approval within Kappa membership.

Unfortunately, these feelings are the ones being ruthlessly preyed on within every case of hazing.

With this being stated, let me go straight back into the primary assets of each level of organization that no one has ever shared with me (or within the same meetings that I have attended in the past).

The Grand Chapter's primary asset is the ability to certify that an individual is indeed a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. No other entity is able to effectively compete with GC's ability either.

The Grand Board and IHQ (as well as each level of organization) should never forget this. Lose this ability (especially within the courts due to hazing) and you might as well shut the doors and go home.

The primary asset of the provinces is the ability (granted by Grand Chapter and IHQ) to initiate individuals into membership within Kappa Alpha Psi.

The primary asset of chapters is the ability to select individuals for membership to be initiated by a province.

Every Guide Right project, fundraising dance, and other activity is the direct result of the primary assets of the three levels of organization working in tandem.

The primary assets is the way that the team of achievement is chosen and built.

Now the threshold that has been officially crossed with the decision to use the internet to distribute information regarding to the ongoing rules and regulations of the Fraternity ultimately means that some of the PTCNs previously proposed are closer to becoming reality months, years, and decades from now than they were when they were created.

It is going to be very hard to deny the individual rights of members any more.

The denial of individuals to sit at the table and in Grand Chapter meetings and sessions where decisions are being made right beside the Grand Board, provinces, and chapters is crippling Kappa Alpha Psi as well as any other organization that does not allow individuals to participate through individual voting rights outside of organized clusters of operation.

Right or wrong, local chapters have served a great purpose in the past but now within the era of the internet and communication at the speed of light, an organization such as Kappa places itself in greater jeopardy by excluding individual members more than ever.

The doctrine of a local chapter's existence has failed and every chapter where a case of hazing has occurred or been alleged proves it. The liability and cost then is burdened by Grand Chapter.

Local chapters are still needed but not without the exclusion of virtual chapters where individual members determine where they will place their local membership. This should be the case whether they vote with their feet within an existing local chapter anyway.

There should be essentially two tracks of membership within such organizations as Kappa Alpha Psi: a geographical based track and; a virtual, network-centric track based upon the means of communication as the internet.

No entity can effectively replace Grand Chapter. As a result, only the mindset and methods of operations would have to change within the Grand Board and International Headquarters staff.

As the primary asset at this level is the ability to certify whether an individual is indeed a recognized member, everything done to support, maintain, and strengthen the organization should reflect the ability to communicate with the individual as it traditionally has attempted to communicate to and with local chapters, provinces, alumni associations (if there truly are any) and Grand Chapter itself.

Hazing is truly preventable if Grand Chapter and IHQ operated more like a clearinghouse like a credit bureau versus a logistical management group.

Create a place on the official website where the public can find out if a person is truly a member and their extent of participation without providing an opportunity for a person's identity to be stolen. This would be a great resource for college and university administrators if we are to continue to exist on local campuses anyway.

Allow potential members to directly approach and contact Grand Chapter via IHQ for membership. Any research on the qualifications of the prospective member would then be conducted by either a local chapter or virtual chapter and then the initiation would be conducted by the predesignated province.

Essentially what I am proposing is to systematically reduce and prevent the operational bottlenecks that have plagued us unnecessarily and caused quantifiable financial lossses due to mismanagement and hazing alike.

Our human resources have been mismanaged because the geographical clusters were not able to be reached with real-time communications on a daily basis. The IHQ staff was not able nor expected to know what was going on at the local level daily. It was simply not feasible.

Individuals who could have made a critical difference at any level of our organization have not been fully able to contribute due to internal politics and the slow moving nature of organizations that require a quorum.

There are more than enough cases where specialists are needed on demand and having to find such an individual through a quorum based meeting is detrimental to the organization overall.

Our Fraternity would more than likely benefit from the individual Brothers who are better organizers of chapters, communities, and coalitions (although this single word sometimes has another meaning within the Bond). Free these Brothers to do what they do best and multiple entities of the Bond will immediately come to light. Reclamation would be an automatic result through their efforts.

But I do have a model for such a mindset and doctrine of existence and it comes directly from the armed forces of our country.

In spite of the lack of any military experience, I am fully convinced that the concept of transformation doctrine could be successfully applied to Kappa and other organizations worldwide.

Bottom line, hazing is terrorism.

There are laws already on the books at every level that reflect this.

Being able to determine whether an individual is recognized by the Grand Chapter would certainly reduce the opportunity of liability for hazing. Such a standard exemplifies that Grand Chapter is in control of its operations through its members versus giving lip service or conditional control and/or oversight.

Geographic Provinces would still be able to maintain their greatest asset within the ability to initiate candidates into official membership while virtual provinces (superchapters) would be created and granted the ability to conduct initiations while possessing the ability to move faster than geographical provinces due to specific interest of the individual members (most likely based upon industry of vocation of the individual members).

The overarching question then becomes whether such a system would foster genuine brotherhood. Based upon our history in its magnificience and our current dynamic (or the lack of one), I dare say that we cannot imagine the benefits and heights we will be able to easily reach without lawsuits, negative press, and disgruntled members.

Global and intergalactic Brotherhood would become a real-time asset only barely scratched by the wild dreams of our beloved Founders.

By adding the virtual component to our organization, reclamation would be easier and more lucrative in ways currently unimaginable as well.

As the past and present membership directories demonstrate, a hardcopy or online directory does not mean a thing unless someone, somewhere is able to create or initiate a two-way means of communication and establish a positive, long-term relationship.

The usage of the internet simply just has crossed us into the realm of remote fantasy becoming reality.

The individual who did it (or directed that it was to be done) should be awarded the Laurel Wreath or another highest level of recognition that we are able to bestow.

The ultimate question now is whether the highest echelons of Kappa will have the continued courage to take repeated steps on this new level (even now possibly unintentionally) reached.

Yours in the Bond!

Stronger Focus for this Blog

I had taken a break from creating posts while knowing that there is specific niche for this blog versus any other Kappa related websites, mailing lists, etc.

I was asked if I was angry or bitter about something and I realized that a better focus will provide a better explanation and justification for this blog.

Our URL Yoursinthebond.com now points to this blog if I have not mentioned it previously.

The byline (Yours in the Bond.com: Balancing Individual and Collective Achievement) now reflects the new aim: providing information on how to balance individual and collective achievement. We will include other issues from time to time while keeping our new focus in the forefront.

The quest for achievement has this unique conflict within each member and it never really has been addressed and each member is left to figure it out all on their own.

The question really are: when is individual achievement more desirable and beneficial versus seeking group achievement and vice versa? Is there a positive middle ground to satisfy both objectives?

I believe that answer can be resolved by the work of Nobel Prize winner John Nash and his principle of "governing dynamics" which was featured within the movie "A Beautiful Mind".

Governing dynamics is clearly not practiced in large measure within organizations such as Kappa since members who usually go for individual achievement are not financial or active on the local level.

But being focused entirely on group achievement leaves one without a family, legacy, and footprints worth following.

There are too many organizational groupies not only within Kappa, but virtually every organization known to man.

You can often identify the organizational groupies by the number of emblems of organizations that appear on the rear end of their cars, trucks, and other vehicles.

Something has to suffer if there is an imbalance.

Therefore finding the balance is the aim of this blog from now on.

We will not hesitate to call out and protest anything that seeks to shift the pendulum recklessly in a single direction.

Yours in the Bond!

Potential Reason NupeNet Has Orphan Status

A Brother recently sent me an e-mail and we lightly caught up on the latest in our lives since the days we were in the same local alumni chapter.

His e-mail included something about the NupeNet being a virtual chapter and it dawned on me about a potential reason the NupeNet has received less than lukewarm affection from the highest levels of the organization.

The NupeNet does not and will not as far as I can see have a Polemarch since the entire group for the most part governs itself.

Even if there was a front runner for such an office, it would be more of a moniker without any real authority and responsibility since the opportunity for leadership is the same for all Brothers regardless of age, years of membership, financial status, etc.

The NupeNet is the closest thing that the Fraternity has to fulfill the Kappa poem "Kappa of My Dreams" and now it is understandable why it gets left outside at the table where the majority of the decisions are being made.

If there was room for a "Mr. Kappa" of the NupeNet, I wonder if the coalition would be all over it;D)

We would probably have to pay more dues or be "assessed" to subsidize the NupeNet at that point;)

What Sense Does Anger and Bitterness Make?

I received an e-mail from a Brother who wondered if and why my e-mails and messages seem to have a tinge of anger and bitterness to them.

Here is the response that I sent him.

There is no anger or bitterness in my comments. It is just an effect
of having taken "the red pill" regarding our beloved Fraternity and
having the balls to press for constructive change by any means
necessary versus preferring the golden silence and "go along to get
along" that permeates the Bond.

If I were angry or bitter as others are and have been, I would
probably sit on the sidelines somewhere away from the potential
responses.

Running away from problems does not solve them. But I do take it easy
in voicing my opinion due to higher priority items.

The vibe of the NupeNet, and overall Bond offline and online requires
a little more than just the same old Kappa conversation these days.

It is my purpose to get Brothers to think and become more aware of why
our retention rate is so low.

I firmly believe that we have systemic problems that further reinforce
the movement away from our stated objectives.

I have placed and will continue to place the bulk of my thoughts,
comments, and recommendations on my blog
(http://yoursinthebond.blogspot.com) regarding the NupeNet and other
changes involving Kappa that would get us back on track at every level
versus the formal levels of organization (local chapter, province, and
Grand Chapter overall) currently in existence.

Kappa is more than just the 3 levels of organization that most
normally consider.

Feel free to leave any comments or thoughts you have on my blog or ask
me anything else that makes you wonder.

Thanks for the feedback and I hope that I have answered your question
fully. If not, please ask for the clarification on any point that I
have missed.