Rodney's Rambling's

Surprise -you've got Covid.. .  For the past three days, I have had a slight cough, chills, nausea, and body aches. Thinking nothing of I t, just a cold or mild case of the flu, I told myself, so I took some Dayquil and decided to ride it out. I mean, I had all of my shots -and boosters for both covid and the flu. So, what was the worst it could be?   Then today, on a lark, I am talking to a good friend, and he suggested I might want to get tested. No problems, I thought; I had 5 of those test kits. So, pulling on out, I downloaded the app and discovered that all five kits were long expired. Well damn, I am only slightly hardheaded, so I doubled down on the Dayquil and took a space on the coach. As the TV watched me, I went in and out of sleep, in and out of dizziness, and the other systems continued …only slightly muted in response to the medication.   Enough, even I can read the tea leaves. And these were not looking good. So, I contacted my doctor and got an ap...

  The Christmas Miracle -one of the dozens that occurred…did you miss it..no worry, there were, are, and will be others..but you gotta look.. Many probably did not even notice it.  For some, it was unimportant.  But for a few, it was a miracle, as a 5-month-old baby was found.  And on Christmas eve.  Kason Thomas, three days earlier, along with his twin brother Ky’air, was kidnapped from a parking lot in Columbus.  His brother was found in a car seat in the parking lot of Dayton International Airport on Tuesday, Dec. 20.  Days passed, and searches continued, but no sight of little Kason.  Then, on Thursday, 175 miles away, police officers were tipped that the baby may be in a car in the parking lot of Papa Johns's.  The miracle was the strange interactions between the kidnapper and a perfect stranger.  It was reported that Kyair was found in a parking lot at Dayton International Airport, some hours later, Shyann Delmar bought some to...

  The Fork in the Road: Freedom is not free -the Case of the Dominican Republic   Source:  Two countries, one island, life-and-death differences | CNN As observed in a previous section, before 1960, Haiti and The Dominican Republic were virtually tied with reference to GDP and capital incomes. But then, the Dominican Republic was afforded a fork in the road and now has GDP and capital incomes nearly 800% higher. What accounts for this meteoric rise to superstardom for one and the dreadful fall of the other? In this section, I will explore this fork in the road. We shall discover that this fork, and the access to significant resources, enhanced policies, and a whole range of choices demonstrates how to structure success for one and failure for another racial state. The fork in the road consisted of becoming a “most favored nation” and enhanced trade and investments and liberal immigration, which provided easy access to education and training. In the end, we have a tradin...

  The Miracle no one will see rodneyc//22   Into the calamity that is life Rife with pain, sorrow, and disappointment Moments where all is filled with strife Then, into the void is the wonder Strangers being kind to another Babies born, elders’ laughter The gifts of the times abound Light in the darkness, water in the desert Green pastures on treacherous journeys Paths through valleys of death Comfort from evil and enemies Health in a sea of disease And all I want has been assured Yet all I want is to be close to Thee And that is the Miracle that no one will see.

Dr. Rodney D. Coates Professor of Sociology Department of Global and Intercultural studies I am a public sociologist studying critical race, social justice, social movements, and social policy.  I focus on how society, social behavior, institutions, norms, and culture, impact social relationships and interactions.  I strive to link my areas of study to the community, and as such, I have conducted bias training with police, educators, and corporate leaders. My work engages local communities, corporations, and Miami University to establish pathways to progress for under-represented students in various areas, including STEM, business, and law. Over the past few years, I have been proud of the awards and accomplishments, but most importantly, my ability to impact my communities.   As a teacher-scholar, I take an interdisciplinary approach.   I actively engage my students in research, knowledge production, and critical reflection. My pedagog...

  Dr. Rodney D. Coates Professor of Sociology Department of Global and Intercultural Studies   Summary   The teacher-scholar model actively engages students in research, knowledge production, and critical reflection. This process utilizes the tension between teaching and research to challenge students to go beyond the basic concepts to advance their knowledge and understanding of the current trends within the discipline. In my courses, students learn that the beginning of research involves asking the right questions and guiding them to the appropriate research methods and outcomes.  In this way, we teach students the different types of theories, methodologies (from qualitative to quantitative), and policy implications of the research.  Students take from this a practical guide to the efficacy of research and the importance of such research in dealing with real-world problems.  The pedagogical approach is one where research is central to the lear...

Monroe Doctrine and the White Man's Burden the case of Santo Domingo        Whereas a slave rebellion precipitated the Haitian revolution, the one in Santo Domingo resulted from three revolutions orchestrated by white planters, mulattoes, and enslaved people. Although separate, they nevertheless fed upon each other as the call for liberation was paved through massacres, atrocities, and violence. (Hazard 1873)   Strangely enough, the catalyst of these revolutions was another -The French Revolution of 1789. The French National Assembly ratified the Declaration of the Rights of Man and granted Santo Dominguez free people of color full citizenship rights. This immediately created a conflict, as the white planters refused to acknowledge these rights and instead decided to seek independence from France.  As these tensions led to conflict, first by whites, then between whites and free people of color, the slaves of Santo Dominguez rebelled on August 22, 1791. Ci...

  The Social Creation of a racially failed State -the Case of Haiti      Walter Rodney's 1972 seminal text How Europe Underdeveloped Africa explores how European colonial powers' deliberate policies, strategies, and practices undermined, exploited, and underdeveloped Africa. The poor African states that resulted were intentional and served to justify and condemn the Africans for conditions created by their adversaries. Oddly enough, while many have criticized the book and its author, the conditions he articulated were part of the duplicitous ways the imperial state penalizes racialized others for being different and then shifts the blame unto the victims. Let us consider how these policies, strategies, and practices served to under-develop Haiti while simultaneously developing Santo Domingo.     Source:  Two countries, one island, life-and-death differences | CNN Before 1960, the Dominican Republic and Haiti were almost equal in terms of GDP a...