On Meritocracy - or the lack of it?

I was on my way home after seeing a good friend who was visiting from Chicago, and while sitting in the subway, couldnt help but notice some newspapers on the seat in front of me. They werent being read by anyone, so I picked one up and it was the Sunday, November 13th issue of Newsday's Fanfare section.

In the book reviews section, I couldnt help but be intrigued by the title of one review: "Breaking up the Ivy League Meritocracy", by Scott McLemee. I cant rephrase what the author of the book, Jerome Karabel, had to say, so i've copied it below. In essence (if i'm correct), the theory is that "merit" is defined by those who hold power in society, and not by any objective standards.

My sketch of Karabel's argument has stressed the element of economic self-interest on the part of university administrators. But his analysis is more nuanced than that. In the 1920s, the grounds for making it more difficult for Irving Immigrantsky to get into the Big Three were not primarily economic. The leaders of the most prominent universities wanted to retain their favored relationship with other elite institutions in American society.

So they had to recalibrate their sense of "merit" to reduce the emphasis on purely academic criteria. They created standards that reflected the prevailing values of those who already possessed high social status.

"The very definition of 'merit,'" writes Karabel, "always bears the imprint of the distribution of power in the larger society. Those who are able to define 'merit' will almost invariably possess more of it, and those with greater resources - cultural, economic, and social - will generally be able to ensure that the educational system will deem their children more meritorious."

So the nightmare meritocracy that Young wrote about almost 50 years ago is impossible. As Karabel writes, "The ideal of a meritocracy - a system in which power plays no role in defining 'merit' and in which rich and poor alike enjoy genuinely equal opportunities to succeed - is inherently unattainable." There will always be smart people who don't rise and stupid people at the pinnacle of power. This is comforting, if not much.

Job opportunity for Arabic speaking Graphic Designer

Job opportunity for Arabic speaking Graphic Designer

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION SEEKS:

ARABIC/ENGLISH SPEAKING GRAPHIC DESIGNER FOR SHORT
TERM PROJECT

TO BE COMPLETED BY 28 NOVEMBER 2005

REQUIREMENTS:

ARABIC MOTHER TONGUE
WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF IN-DESIGN SOFTWARE
WORK FROM HOME


PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

International organization seeks Arabic speaking
graphic designer who has working knowledge of
in-design software, to match a 48 page Arabic
publication (which includes charts and graphs) to same
48 page English version text for text and chart/graph
for graph publication.


THIS IS A PAID POSITION – FEE NEGOTIABLE



CONTACT INFO:

E-mail:poinesette@un.org

or

Telephone: 1.212.963.3771
(Monday – Friday 11:00 am – 3:00 pm)

DC event: Garnering US support for Pakistani earthquake relief efforts

I havent been too actively involved in Rising Leaders, a student-run Pakistani political action organization which only recently came into existence. Part of the reason is that they are based in Washington, D.C. which goes very much to their advantage, as they are in a better position to lobby on behalf of a community that is not only dis-organized but also fraught with so many problems of its own.

So, naturally, it's good to receive notices of pro-active events like the one below where earthquake relief is finally becoming a cause for concern and this concern will be made clear to our elected representatives.

If you're in the DC area and can attend for any part, please do so. Also spread the word!

=========================================

PAL-C (Pakistani American Leadership Center), PAKPAC (Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee), APPNA (Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America), Rising Leaders, National PSA, OPEN (Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America (National), NAPA (National Association of Pakistani Americans, PAANA (Pakistani American Association of North America), COPAA (Council of Pakistani American Affairs) and PAC (Pakistani American Congress)

Present

A Day on the Hill

Garnering US support for Earthquake Relief in Pakistan

November 17, 2005

7 am-10 am

Breakfast Reception with Congressmen

Rayburn House Office Building Room 2237

10 am-4:30 pm

Individual Meetings with Congressmen

Washington D.C. Offices

5 pm

Reception/Dinner hosted by the Ambassador of Pakistan

Embassy of Pakistan, Washington D.C.

Join the Pakistani-American community in Washington D.C on November 17 for a “Day on the Hill” to bring attention to the dire situation in Pakistan’s earthquake affected area. While international support has lagged and media attention dwindled, Pakistani-Americans still register the urgency of the disaster and the desperate need for relief assisstance. “A Day on the Hill” is a concerted effort by Pakistani-Americans to lobby the U.S government in taking a leadership role in relief and reconstruction. To join the nationwide effort, please make an appointment in advance with your Representative of Congress for November 17^th in his/her DC office. When you are scheduling your appointment, urge your Congressman to join you at the Breakfast Reception (from 7am-9:30am in Room 2237 of Rayburn) in order to show his/her support for the victims of the earthquake and the efforts of the Pakistani-American community. During your individual meeting with your Representative, you will be able to present the Pakistani-American community’s concerns to your Congressman, as well as the draft resolution that asks the U.S. Congress to appropriate $1 billion in aid to Pakistan over the next three years. The end goals of the Day are to successfully organize the Pakistani-American community and to garner U.S. support for long-term relief and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan.

Contact Dr. Saud Anwar, Chief Coordinator of the event and Secretary General of the Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee for special inquiries at dayonhill@pakpac.net.

Contact Aisha Chapra, the DC Event Coordinator for information on co-sponsoring the event, arranging accommodations, and general questions at 202-675-2004. All messages will be answered.

Contact Fauzia Tariq, the Media Coordinator, with any questions regarding press passes and media coverage of the event at RisingLeaders@gmail.com.

Contact Azmat Khan, Executive Assistant for PAL-C to RSVP with your name, email address, affiliation and your Member of Congress at info@palc.us. We will reply with a confirmation.

For complete details about the event, a copy of the proposed resolution and accommodation information, please visit the PAL-C Blog at www.pal-cdc.blog.com or the Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee website at www.pakpac.net.

World AIDS Day events at the Asia Society

The Asia Society is pleased to invite you to a pair of special events on November 29th and December 1st to commemorate World AIDS Day:

Picturing Hope: Through Their Eyes

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Opening Reception 6:30 _ 8:30 p.m.

Remarks and Program at 7:00 p.m..

Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street, New York City

This display of photographs, taken by children in India, provides a close look at how the global HIV/AIDS epidemic is shaping everyday lives. The images are selected from Picturing Hope, a program dedicated to providing children impacted by HIV/AIDS with resources to explore their feelings, strengthen their sense of self, and find a voice with which to tell their stories.

The young photographers will join Craig Bender, Photographer _ Picturing Hope; Reeta Roy, Divisional Vice President, Global Citizenship and Policy, Abbott; and Ann Veneman, Executive Director, UNICEF, in offering remarks at the opening reception.

Please note that the museum galleries will be open with complimentary admission from 6:00 _ 8:00 pm.

&

Ending AIDS:

The Search for a Vaccine

(Michael Schwarz and Bill Jersey/2005/60 Min/Beta)

Thursday, December 1st 2005

6:30 _ 8:00 p.m.
Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue at 70th street, New York City

Please join the Asia Society, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), and the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC) for the New York premiere of Ending AIDS: The Search for a Vaccine. Narrated by Richard Gere, Ending AIDS chronicles the complicated history of AIDS vaccine research from the dedicated researchers at biotech firms, to revelations from Nairobi, Kenya that there are some groups that remain miraculously disease free after repeated exposure, to the challenges that still lie ahead. The film maps the progress being made in the face of incredible scientific, political, ethical, and organizational challenges.

The film is followed by remarks and discussion by Mitchell Warren, Executive Director, AVAC; and Anjali Nayyar, Vice President, Country and Regional Programmes, IAVI.

Free Admission. Please RSVP for BOTH EVENTS.

Advance registration is highly recommended. Please call the Box Office at 212-517-ASIA, send information by fax at 212-517- 8315, or email: boxo@asiasoc.org.

Made possible by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Foreign Policy Association event: "The Future of Muslim Democracy" - 12/01/05 - 5:30 PM

The Foreign Policy Association has proven that it is a standard-setter when it comes to events. This next event with featured speaker Anwar Ibrahim (former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia) hasnt even been publicized by the FPA itself, but im letting my blog readers know of it firsthand. The tickets for this will sell out fast. Register quickly and spread the word!

Anwar Ibrahim - "The Future of Muslim Democracy"
December 1, 2005
McGraw-Hill Auditorium, New York City

The Foreign Policy Association and The National Endowment for Democracy invite you to attend the third fall lecture of The New York Democracy Forum featuring Anwar Ibrahim, formerly the deputy prime minister of Malaysia and vice president of the United Malays National Organization, Ibrahim started in 1971 the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM), the first mass-based NGO in the country to raise social and political awareness and emphasize social justice and human rights. Together with the late Prof. Ismail al-Faruqi and Dr. Taha Jabir al-Awani, Ibrahim founded the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) in 1981 and later set up the Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences in Ashburn, Virginia. His criticism of corruption and abuse of power within the Malaysian government and his vocal demand for reform resulted in his arrest and imprisonment in September 1998. Ibrahim, who led a new democratic movement in Malaysia from his prison cell, was released in September 2004.

Speaker:
Anwar Ibrahim
Visiting Professor at Georgetown University.

Date:
Thursday, December 1, 2005

Location:
McGraw-Hill Auditorium
1221 Avenue of the Americas (entrance on 49th Street)

Time:
Registration/5:30 pm
Lecture/6:00 pm
Reception 7:00pm

Admission:
FPA/NED member: Free
Guest of FPA/NED member/OTR Member $15.00
Non-member: $25.00
Student with ID: $5.00

Advanced registration is required. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Registration will open 8am 11/11/2005

REGISTER ONLINE