Uncategorized
-
Would You Do The Same Work For Less?
Be honest: If your boss prompted you to jump in order to keep your job, how soon would it take you to leap into the air as if your shoes double as a trampoline? For those fortunate enough to still have their jobs, many have decided to fall in line and be on their best…
-
Tuesday's Headlines
NYT: Obama on Economy: Pain Now, Gain Later Reuters: Pirates: Still Feeling Froggy, Still Jackin’ Ships (Not US Ships, But Still) CSM: For N. Korea, Sanctions Hold Little Sway Because…Well…Come On Man, It’s the UN AP: Blago Gets Indicted, Pleads “Dude, I Didn’t Do It” USNWR: Depression Increases Risk of Heart Failure WP: Number of…
-
The Problem with Pirates
When I first heard about the pirate debacle, Roland Martin was breaking it on CNN and I was hopeful that President Obama would see the wisdom is resolving this scuffle peacefully, but the when the Seals come out, they almost always get to shooting. So, you buck down three pirates and capture another, and alls…
-
Weed Out the Violence, Seed in the Coffeehouse
The U.S. Department of Justice is sponsoring a new community clean-up initiative called Weed and Seed. The structure of the initiative relies on two things: local law enforcement weeds out violent criminals and drug dealers, and private community organizations seeds in prevention, treatment and neighborhood rehabilitation. Now I’m no urban planner or licensed realtor, but…
-
Let’s Cuff the Western Pirates, Too
Let’s be clear: Thugs hijacking relief supplies meant for communities starved by a genocidal despot is an awful, ugly thing. But I’ve watched with some amusement as Western shipping companies and the navies that support them have grown frustrated with Somali pirates in recent years. Pirates! But there’s more to the story than Johnny Depp…
-
What Recovery? Who to Blame for that "Streetlight Tax" in D.C.
This weekend, the NEW YORK TIMES provided a valuable accounting of the impact that the recession is having on state and city budgets. The short answer: not good. Nothing, it seems, is off the table. In Pima County, Ariz., the County Board of Supervisors increased an assortment of fees, including the cost of AIDS testing.…
-
Did Integration Hurt Black Kids' Discipline?
Did integration negatively affect discipline for black kids? That’s the question Carol Forsloff asked at Digital Journal. Some folks claim that interaction with white teachers and the adoption of white parenting styles led to the breakdown of discipline. I haven’t stopped thinking about the post since I read it. As a young girl, I lived…
-
Damon Weaver: In His Own Words
Remember Damon Weaver? The Florida fifth grader who worked tirelessly — and sadly, unsuccessfully — to get an interview with Barack Obama during the presidential race? Well, the POTUS has yet to sit down with The Root’s favorite cub reporter. Still, this 10-year-old student journalist from Canal Point Elementary in Palm Beach, Fla. has been fairing rather well on…
-
How Losing My Job Helped Me Learn to Live Again
Although written light heartedly, I wrote the “Cheer Up!” entry because I’m concerned about how the current economic climate is hurting the mental health of Americans. Recent studies suggest that more than 80 percent of Americans are stressed out by financial issues. In Britain, the government is offering free therapy to victims of the global…
-
South African Discomfort
I recently went to the venerable old Market Theater in an increasingly populated downtown Johannesburg. It had been all but abandoned after the end of apartheid. Now the city is coming back, and white people are coming back, and they (along with a healthy number of blacks) are coming back to the Market Theater. But…