Personally, I've grown tired of reading/seeing the things brothers don't do right.

So, the purpose of this thread is to highlight Brothers Doing Good.

I've got work to do to keep this thread active, but I hope I will get help from the AA.org family.

GREAT idea brother DD!!!

Hey, I just got this book last week. . .

The authors were being interviewed on a radio talk show and that's where I learned about them AND their book.

I haven't started reading it yet. . .but I purchased 5 copies to hand out to the young brothers among my family & friends.

'Right on' to the good brothers out there. . .of which there ARE many.

quote:

Originally posted by Fabulous:

. . .but I purchased 5 copies to hand out to the young brothers among my family & friends.

WOW -

Book Review by Kam Williams

"Young men today have been bombarded with images of wealth and success that tell them that buying the hottest car or the most bling-blingin' jewelry is what they should be motivated by. There is an overwhelming sales pitch targeted at these young men that subliminally suggests that material goods are what makes them real men. I want young men to have knowledge of the things that bring them true empowerment: education, a strong sense of purpose, compassion, confidence, and humility, to name a few.

It is no accident that I graduated from Brown University magna cum laude and received graduate degrees with honors from Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government. My family taught me that doing my best, educating myself, and being in service to others were not optional and that having values and being truthful were not negotiable.

I am living proof that these principles work. Through the letters in this book, I wish to pass on to other young men my grandfathers' legacies of education, hard work, determination, and success."
"”Excerpted from the Introduction

Lately, it seems that everyday another study is announced sharing some sobering statistics about the dire straits of the African-American male. Whether it has to do with employment, parenting, education, incarceration, or any other factors correlated with success in this society, all indications are that the black male is currently in crisis.

For this reason, Hill Harper, star of CBS-TV's CSI: NY, was inspired to publish Letters to a Young Brother. Many might wonder what a famous actor living in la-la land might have to offer kids trying to survive the rigors of the real world. Well, many might not know that he's also a Harvard-trained attorney with three Ivy League degrees.

Hill credits the support of his family when his it comes to all his considerable achievements, pointing out that the presence of role models every step of the way of his development was critical. And because so many black boys have absentee fathers, this book is structured as a series of questions posed by an at-risk adolescent and answered by the author in his capacity as a mentor with plenty of pearls of wisdom to share.

Hill writes in a down-to-earth style appropriate for the targeted demographic, weighing-in with sound advice on picking friends, smoking, drinking, money, consumerism, staying in school, participating in class, what women want, premarital sex, and many other topics of interest to teens. He even supplements his sage insights with those of such luminaries as actresses Gabrielle Union and Sanaa Lathan, AIDS activist Phil Wilson, Senator Barack Obama, R&B singer Ray J, tennis pro Venus Williams, football star Curtis Martin, comedian Anthony Anderson, Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree, movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and hip-hop artist Nas.

The prevailing message delivered by Letters to a Young Brother is that education is power, that material possessions do not ensure happiness, and the importance of being the architect of your own life. A priceless, no-nonsense, step-by-step guide out of the ghetto, provided it reaches a pair of receptive ears with a support team prepared to help him achieve his dream.

All the brothas who organized and participated in the Jena6 protests and the MartinLeeAnderson Bootcamp death protests.

I love to see a brotha expressing his fed up-ness toward injustice

Way to go my Brothas

National Book Award nominees announced

Published: October 14. 2007 6:00AM



The 2007 nominees for the National Book Awards for fiction and nonfiction include:

Fiction: Mischa Berlinski, "Fieldwork"; Lydia Davis, "Varieties of Disturbance"; Joshua Ferris, "Then We Came to the End"; Denis Johnson, "Tree of Smoke"; Jim Shepard, "Like You'd Understand, Anyway"

Nonfiction: Edwidge Danticat, "Brother, I'm Dying"; Christopher Hitchens, "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything"; Woody Holton, "Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution"; Arnold Rampersad , "Ralph Ellison: A Biography"; Tim Weiner, "Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA"

Winners will be announced Nov. 14. Awards also will be given to novelist and essayist Joan Didion, for distinguished contribution to American letters, and to Terry Gross of NPR's "Fresh Air," for service to the American literary community.


Arnold Rampersad is Sara Hart Kimball Professor in the Humanities and a member of the Department of English at Stanford University. His books include biographies of Langston Hughes and Jackie Robinson, and he collaborated with Arthur Ashe on his memoir, Days of Grace. He has written for The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic, and The Washington Post, and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He lives in Stanford, California.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I know this is about brothas. But I also want to point out that a Haitian sista was nominated too: Edwidge Danticat

A call to action: 10,000 Black men called to patrol Philly streets

By Michael Z. Muhammad
Updated Oct 10, 2007, 10:23 pm





PHILADELPHIA (FinalCall.com) - In a move that is unprecedented, a coalition of media, civic, community leaders and law enforcement are calling for 10,000 Black men to step forward, take control of their neighborhoods and keep the peace.

The effort is being dubbed "A Call to Action: 10,000 Men"”It's a New Day," and it is a response to the mayhem occurring daily on the streets of urban Philadelphia where the murder rate is approaching 300. The call was made during a press conference held on Sept. 14 is an ambitious project, which will place groups of volunteers in selected areas of the city as a visible presence to help deter violence.

One of the principal organizers of the effort is Dennis Muhammad, founder of ENOTA (Educating Neighborhoods to Obey Those in Authority) Project, Inc. In an exclusive interview with The Final Call, Bro. Dennis detailed how he, in concert with entertainment promoter Charlie Mack, met with Mayor John Street and Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson last year to discuss the idea. According to Bro. Dennis, the program represents community organization at its best. It will officially begin on Oct. 21 with a recruitment drive, which will take place at Temple Universities Liacoruras Center. Bro. Dennis pointed out that the recruitment would be followed by extensive training of the men in conflict resolution and to become peacekeepers in the neighborhood. "The men will not be confrontational, but rather will represent a clean glass next to a dirty glass," he said.

Police Commissioner Johnson told The Final Call that he has met with Bro. Dennis and Mr. Mack as well as stakeholders Kenny Gamble, music mogul, and radio personality E. Steven Collins of Radio One in recent months on ways to address the violence. "We need a holistic approach and this imitative fits right along those lines," he said. "This is not a police initiative rather it is a community initiative," he pointed out. "In the Black community we have had 10,000 Black men over the last 10 years killed, and over 2,000 Black men shot and wounded so far this year. It's time for our men to stand up because it's our fathers and sons and cousins who are being killed. We expect this initiative to be grand success."

Many critics in the community view this as an act of desperation from an embattled commissioner who has faced mounting criticism for not dealing more effectively with the cities mounting homicide problem. At Final Call press time, 295 homicides have occurred in the city"”most of who are Black males.

Included in the coalition effort are the Millions More Movement, Men United for a Better Philadelphia and Mothers In Charge. Clergy include Bro. Rodney Muhammad, head of Muhammad's Mosque No. 12, and Rev. Robert Shine, former president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity.

Bro. Rodney said, "Out of the spirit of the Million Man March, we want to call a large number of men together to revisit the pledge we took on the mall in Washington, D.C. The idea is to bring men back and recommit them, but this time, organize them and train them as a peacekeeping force to go back in our communities and be a force for good." Bro. Rodney instructed that anyone interested in joining the effort could pre-register at www.10000menphilly.com.
Bro. Dennis said the peacekeeper patrols would take place every day for two or three hours for 90 days in specially targeted areas. The goal will be a measurable decrease in crime.

Mr. Mack, the principal organizer, in a statement issued to the press said, "It's long past time for Black men to stand up and meet their obligations and responsibilities to protect their women and children and elders. To do any less is cowardice."

Warren Ballentine, ESQ., Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Voice of One Charity

Warren was born and raised on Chicago's South Side. He is a lawyer and radio personality. Warren Ballentine, says his goal in life is to be 'a servant leader.' He fulfills this goal everyday, in his hometown. Warren attended Chicago State University. While working at a steel mill, Warren took weekend courses, with a double major in psychology and criminal law. Warren received his Bachelors degree from Chicago State University.

Warren's love for law, took him to Ohio Northern School of Law. Warren took every course he could that revolved around family, entertainment, and criminal law. That passion led him to become the servant leader he is today.

Today, Ballentine is an attorney, practicing Criminal law; as well as Family and Entertainment Law. Warren appears on Syndication One, V 103 FM radio station, every Sunday from 6pm until 8pm giving free legal advise. Warren also appears on Inspiration 1390 Tuesday through Friday from 5pm till 6pm and is also on Power 99 in Philadelphia and featured on the Doug Banks Morning show a nationally syndicated show. He is known as "The Peoples Attorney".

Warren is an accredited motivational speaker for children; and is heavily involved in community renewal. His will to succeed is birthed from a foundation passed on to him from his mother, grandmother and aunt. These three women can be held responsible for instilling in Warren, his moral values and belief in self. Warren's quote to live by is simply: "An injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere."

Peace....




Kwame M. Kilpatrick
Mayor, City of Detroit

Since taking office in 2002 as the youngest mayor of any major U.S. city, Kwame M. Kilpatrick has led tremendous growth in the city of Detroit including the biggest housing and commercial construction boom in 50 years, the largest road and infrastructure improvement program in decades, and a $2-billion overhaul of Detroit's riverfront. After decades of decline, Detroit is experiencing a revival thanks to Mayor Kilpatrick's leadership that has been recognized by media including the New York Times, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and the Financial Times of London. Kilpatrick is now serving in his second term as Detroit's 60th Mayor.

Growing Detroit
To spur Detroit's growth and build stronger neighborhoods, Mayor Kilpatrick has dramatically streamlined the economic development process while forming groundbreaking partnerships with the private sector and community organizations. In just three years, the results have been impressive. The City currently has more than 7,400 housing starts in the pipeline including the unprecedented Far Eastside project, which envisions a neighborhood with 3,000 homes.

The development of downtown housing is also gaining wide attention. In January 2005 the New York Times noted, "There have been signs of a downtown revival over the last few years, with one of the most remarkable changes being the creation of residential lofts." At the same time, 35 new restaurants have opened downtown in the past three years, and Mayor Kilpatrick has brokered seven hotel deals including the renovation of the historic Book-Cadillac Hotel.

On Detroit's riverfront, Mayor Kilpatrick is championing historic progress as ground was finally broken in 2003 on the $2-billion redevelopment project that will include businesses, retail, residential units and a state park. Detroit's growth is being noticed around the world and across the country. Said USA Today: "The truth is the Motor City is really on the road to recovery – as a major American metropolis, business center, and cultural and entertainment Mecca." The Brookings Institute described this development as, "the most significant urban development in the country."

Spirit of Detroit
While growing Detroit, Mayor Kilpatrick has inspired a record number of citizens to join in the City's rebirth. Through several volunteer initiatives including Angels' Night and Motor City Makeover, Mayor Kilpatrick has mobilized more than 200,000 volunteers to help create stronger, safer and cleaner neighborhoods. Building on this new spirit of volunteerism and community, Detroiters rallied together and persevered through the largest blackout in our nation's history. The Washington Post said Mayor Kilpatrick "shined in the blackout" as he provided leadership to citizens and guided the emergency response. He was later summoned to testify on Capitol Hill about Detroit's preparedness and how the City's response was so effective.

Kids, Cops, Clean
Throughout his administration Mayor Kilpatrick has always remained focused on Kids, Cops, Clean – the three building blocks essential to growing Detroit into a city where children and families can grow and flourish.

Kids: Recognizing the importance after-school programming in childhood development and thriving communities, Mayor Kilpatrick – a former public school teacher – created Mayor's Time, a comprehensive network of after-school programs. In just under two years, Detroit after-school participation has more than doubled to almost 39%. Mayor Kilpatrick's commitment to children is also evidenced by the reduction of Detroit's Head Start vacancies from 20% to 2% in the last two years. He has also developed, in partnership with the Intel Corporation, four computer clubhouses – the first of their kind in Detroit – which opened new windows of opportunity for Detroit children.

Cops: Creating a safe, secure city for children and families has been a top priority of Mayor Kilpatrick – and every year of his administration the results have been impressive. Under the leadership of Chief Ella Bully-Cummings the Detroit Police Department drove crime down 10% in 2004 – the third straight year the crime rate has dropped. Also during the Kilpatrick Administration, the number of homicides in Detroit has dropped to the lowest levels in three decades. The Mayor's commitment to public safety is also evident in the Fire Department, which has reduced the number of fatal fires by 30%, and in the area of homeland security, where Mayor Kilpatrick's 10-point preparation plan has helped secure more than $25 million in federal funds.

Clean: To create a cleaner community, Mayor Kilpatrick has led several initiatives including the distribution of thousands of new litter containers, the streamlining of refuse and bulk trash collection, a 7-10 day grass-cutting cycle for Detroit's 391 parks, and the paving of more than 300 miles of roads in the city of Detroit. In 2006, Mayor Kilpatrick launched what the biggest initiative in recent history to keep the city clean. He created the Department of Administrative Hearings (DAH) to address blight violations that have been overlooked by criminal courts for decades. The DAH has the authority to deal with violations quickly and hand down stiff penalties. Kilpatrick also mobilized a new illegal dumping taskforce in early June to attack the rising issue of illegal dumping in Detroit.

History
Prior to his election as mayor in 2001, Kilpatrick was the first African-American in the history of Michigan to lead any party in the State Legislature.

Serving as leader of the Democratic Caucus, Kilpatrick was praised across the state for his ability to form coalitions to get things done. In 1998, as a state representative, he played a key role in designing the $675 million Clean Michigan Initiative, successfully earmarking 60 percent of the funds for Detroit for Brownfield redevelopment, waterfront redevelopment and local park development.

Kilpatrick also secured $7 million to address the problem of lead poisoning, which affects more children in Detroit than in the rest of Michigan combined. In addition, Kilpatrick shepherded the passage of new laws to make schools safer, expand health care benefits for retirees, protect the environment, and strengthen personal protection orders. He also forged a bipartisan coalition to preserve $45 million for hospitals that serve low-income patients.

A lifelong resident of Detroit, Kilpatrick attended Pelham Middle School and Cass Technical High School. He graduated with honors, earning a bachelor of science degree in political science as well as his teacher certification from Florida A&M University, where he also was captain of the football team. Prior to his election as a state representative, Mayor Kilpatrick was a middle school teacher in Detroit. He earned his law degree from the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University.

Mayor Kilpatrick and his wife, Carlita, have twin 10-year-old boys, Jelani and Jalil, and a 4-year-old son, Jonas.



Kai

Travis A. Jackson is an ethnomusicologist whose work centers on jazz, rock, and recording technology. His theoretical interests include urban geography, race/culture and identity, ethnographic method, performance and aesthetics. He is author of Blowin' the Blues Away: Performance and Meaning on the New York Jazz Scene (California, forthcoming) as well as articles on topics ranging from the intersection of jazz and poetic performance to the interpretation of meaning in rock. His current work focuses on the affective attachment of musicians and listeners to recording labels.


Homepage

This message has been edited. Last edited by: HonestBrother,

I'M AN ELITIST TOO.

Dr. Mark Dean

My grandaddy: Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great grandfather, wise man, protector, provider, gentleman, spiritual man, taxi cab ; great great great man...


Minister Louis Farrakhan


Ra Un Nefer Amen


Dr. Sylvester James Gates


Stanley O'Neal

Nice thread Brother Ddouble. I like your photos.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rowe,

I think Black male teachers are the least acknowledged in our society. Because even in this day and time, men are expected to play the role as breadwinners in the family, these men make huge sacrifices for their community. Instead of pursuing fame, status, or riches, they answered the call of a higher purpose and duty on behalf of chldren.
And so, to these men I say

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Rowe,

Thank you Rowe...




Don Lemon anchors the afternoon edition of CNN Newsroom with Kyra Phillips each weekday. Based in the network's world headquarters in Atlanta, Lemon joined CNN in September 2006.


Lemon joined CNN after serving as a co-anchor for the 5 p.m. newscast for NBC5 News in Chicago. He joined the station in August 2003 as an anchor and reporter after working in New York as a correspondent for NBC News, The Today Show and NBC Nightly News. In addition to his reporting in New York, Lemon worked as an anchor on Weekend Today and on MSNBC. While at NBC, Lemon covered the explosion of Space Shuttle Columbia, SARS in Canada and numerous other stories of national and global importance.


In addition to NBC5 and NBC News, Lemon has served as a weekend anchor and general assignment reporter for WCAU-TV, an NBC affiliate in Philadelphia, a general assignment and investigative reporter for KTVI-TV in St. Louis and a reporter for WBRC-TV in Birmingham. He began his career at WNYW in New York City as a news assistant while still in college.


Lemon has won an Edward R. Murrow award for his coverage of the capture of the Washington, D.C. sniper. He won an Emmy for a special report on real estate in Chicagoland and various other awards for his reporting on the AIDS epidemic in Africa and Hurricane Katrina. In 2006, he won three more local Emmys for his reporting in Africa and a business feature about Craigslist, an online community.


He earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Brooklyn College. He has also attended Louisiana State University.

quote:

Originally posted by Fabulous:



Hey, I just got this book last week. . .

The authors were being interviewed on a radio talk show and that's where I learned about them AND their book.

I haven't started reading it yet. . .but I purchased 5 copies to hand out to the young brothers among my family & friends.

'Right on' to the good brothers out there. . .of which there ARE many.

These guys are pretty cool...I went to the same medical school as two of them...they were two years ahead of me.

*One of my frat brothers from my hometown*



FREEMAN A. HRABOWSKI III, Ph.D., President
University of Maryland Baltimore County
1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250
(410) 455-2274
e-mail: hrabowski@umbc.edu
fax: (410) 455-1210; tty: (410) 455-3233
web: www.umbc.edu/

President, University of Maryland Baltimore County since 1992. Vice-Provost, 1987-90, Executive Vice-President, 1990-93, and Interim President, 1992-93, University of Maryland Baltimore County. Board of Visitors, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1992-.
Board of Directors, University of Maryland Medical System Corporation, 1992-2006. Member, Maryland Education Council, Education Commission of the States, 1999-2005; Governor's Commission on the Development of Advanced Technology Business, 2003-04. Co-Chair, Higher Education Work Group, Governor-elect's Transition Team, 2006-07. Former chair, Maryland Humanities Council; Governor's Transition Policy Group on Education. Former member, State Information Technology Board; Governor's Maryland Economic Growth Task Force. Former president, Council of University System Presidents.

Vice-President for Academic Affiars, Coppin State College, 1983-87. Member, Governor's Commission on State Taxes and Tax Structure, 1987-90.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, 1950. Hampton Institute, B.A. (mathematics), 1970; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, M.A. (mathematics), 1971, Ph.D. (higher education administration/statistics), 1975. Consultant, National Science Foundation; National Institutes of Health; National Academy of Sciences; U.S. Department of Education. Board of Directors, University System of Maryland Foundation, 1992-. Board member, American Council on Education; Baltimore Community Foundation; Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies; American Association of Colleges and Universities; Baltimore Equitable Society; Casey Family Grants Program; Center Stage; Constellation Energy Group; Maryland Business Roundtable for Education; McCormick and Company, Inc.; Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust Company; Merrick and France Foundations; Maryland High Technology Council; Washington/Baltimore Regional 2012 Coalition. Co-founder, Meyerhoff Program (for African American scientists), 1989. Co-author, Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African-American Males (1998); Overcoming the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African-American Young Women (2001). Marylander of the Year, Baltimore Sun, 1999. Reginald H. Jones Distinguished Service Award, National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, 1999. Speaker's Medallion, House of Delegates, 2004. Influential Marylanders, Daily Record, 2007. Baltimore's Extraordinary Technology Advocate Award. Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education. U.S. Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. Henry A. Rosenberg, Sr. Distinguished Citizen Award, Boy Scouts of America. Andrew White Medal, Loyola College of Maryland. Hatikvah Award, Jewish National Fund. Educator Achievement Award, National Science Foundation. Outstanding Science Educator Award, Eli Lilly and Company. Golden Torch Academic Visionary Award, National Society of Black Engineers. Fast 50 Champions of Innovation, Fast Company. Honorary degree, Medical University of South Carolina; Binghamton University; Brooklyn College (City University of New York); Mercy College. Married.


Freeman peeled off the paper cover of his tattered second-grade textbook and discovered the original cloth cover, which was stamped with the name of the White school across town. A cast-off. A teacher told the dismayed child, don't worry about the book, just "get the knowledge and you'll be fine."

He learned his most profound lesson on courage at the age of 12 when he was taken off to jail with other schoolchildren for protesting segregation in Birmingham, Ala. Soon after they were released, the school board kicked the protestors out of school, but not before Mr. Bell, the colored principal of Hrabowski's colored school gave a speech to the children about the courage of civil disobedience.

Birmingham in the 1960s was segregated and mean, but rich in cultural identity. Black folks took care of each other and were brave enough to stand up for themselves in the face of separate and unequal everything. That was the community that raised Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III. Despite seeing his people spat on, bombed, burned, lynched and knocked down by the water from fire hoses, the future college president emerged whole. He was not embittered by racism, but driven to prove that he and other African Americans can succeed in spite of it.

By now you should be really curious about this Black guy with a Polish name. 'How is that possible?' you may wonder. Sure enough, the first Birmingham Hrabowski was a Polish plantation owner who left his land and his name to his slaves. End of story. Well, except that the lighter hued branch of the family on the "other" side of town changed their name to Robuskey (pronounced with a southern drawl), Hrabowski explains with a smirk.

"I had the best childhood a colored child growing up in the '50s could have," says Hrabowski. Then the 1960s arrived.

Growing up in Alabama in the 1960s was both awful and wonderful, he recalls. The central focus of his community in Birmingham was the church. Families worshipped there. They pooled their resources when someone needed help. Parents and civil-rights advocates met there and children did their homework there while sitting through those strategy meetings. He heard speeches by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Fred Shuttlesworth and others. He and his family supported the boycott of White-run downtown stores by refusing to buy new outfits for Easter Sunday mass and wearing jeans to church instead.

So it seemed only natural when this boy, growing up in the eye of the civil-rights storm (1963), insisted on participating in the famous Children's March. Civil-rights leaders organizing the demonstration figured that children had less to lose than adults and would draw more attention and sympathy. They were right. The school board threatened to fire all of the teachers - including Hrabowski's mom - whose children took part in the protest. But he was determined. His parents said no at first. "Then why did you take me to all those meetings?" he asked. His parents gave in.

He and hundreds of other kids were hauled off to jail. This good little schoolboy spent five days in a juvenile detention center full of roughnecks. "One of the older boys who knew my family protected me," he recalls, choking sorrowfully on the memory. "It was awful." While he was in jail, more children turned out to protest and many were beaten back by police with water hoses. The protest was caught on TV, and the nation's collective blood pressure shot up, from the White House on down. Some local shop owners caved, agreeing to hire and serve Blacks. When Hrabowski and the others were released from jail, they were heroes. "It was a painful and rich experience," he says slowly, his eyes focused on a place beyond the window. His mother kept her job.

A few months later, however, all hell broke loose in the steel mill city that had earned the nickname, "Bombingham" because of the frequent bombings of black homes and churches. This time, a bomb tore through the 16th Street Baptist Church in broad daylight. It ended the lives of four little girls attending an annual Youth Day program in their new, white Sunday dresses. It was a sunny day in 1963, just a month after Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech. It was a crime that horrified America and has been investigated and embroiled in high-level racial politics ever since. One Ku Klux Klan member was prosecuted in the 1970s. In May, 2000, two former Klan members were indicted for their roles in planting the deadly dynamite. It'll still be a tough case. Lots of witnesses have died, and evidence has faded away since 1963.

It is not a memory that Hrabowski is willing to discuss mu