Month: March 2012
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Countries Move to Isolate the U.S.
Are other countries planning for a U.S. demise? “I was in Australia earlier this month and there, as elsewhere on my recent travels, the consensus among the politicians I met (at least in private) was that Washington lacked the will for meaningful course correction, and that, therefore, the trick was to ensure that, when the…
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Black Male Code – Good for Whites Too!
AP writer Jesse Washington recently wrote about having to tell his 12 y/o son about the Black Male Code as a result of the Trayvon Martin fiasco. As I explained it, the Code goes like this: Always pay close attention to your surroundings, son, especially if you are in an affluent neighborhood where black folks…
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U2’s Bono on Band’s Tax Dodging
U2 singer Bono is known for his antipoverty activism, which includes calls on most world governments to spend more on foreign aid. Yet when it comes to the finances of Bono’s own company, he’s apparently a bit more of a Scrooge. Moreover, he’s loath to admit it, as an interview with author Jason Mattera caught…
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Chicago Man, 80, Charged After Shooting Burglar
Neighbors say they’re “outraged” that an 80-year-old owner of a local tavern has been charged after shooting a burglar who broke into his home in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side. “What does it say to me and other senior citizens that we will be arrested if we defend ourselves?” asked Anita Dominique, head…
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Chicago: 1 Night, 8 Shot, 2 Dead
A 22-year-old man was fatally shot in a Far South Side liquor store Saturday evening, police said, and a 46-year-old man was killed about 45 minutes later. At least six others were shot on the South and West sides overnight. via Chicago Tribune. While notable, not a record. At the time of the story, 36…
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Holding a Gun Gives You a Bias
I’m not saying the “researchers” (a/k/a ivory tower academics) got it wrong, but they definitely have not thought through all the conclusions. A new study from the University of Notre Dame found that if you’re holding a gun, you are more likely to think others are packing heat as well. [T]he study was led by Notre Dame’s Associate…
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Derrick Smith Must Resign or Be Expelled — Dems Own It
The Democratic party was silent prior to the election of State Rep Derrick Smith on the issue of his resigning or getting off the ticket for allegedly accepting a $7000 cash bribe from an undercover FBI agent posing as a daycare center owner in exchange for a $50000 grant. The silence of the Democrats is…
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Golf Ethics
Here is a golf ethics question for you. What if you were playing in the club championship tournament finals and the match was halved at the end of 17 holes. You had the honor and hit your ball a modest two hundred fifty yards to the middle of the fairway, leaving a simple six iron…
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Naomi Davis: Issues in the African-American Community
Local community organizer Naomi Davis put together a top-ten list of issues impacting the African-American community in her area of Chicago. Not a bad list: NORFOLK & SOUTHERN/CREATE. Opportunity Of A Lifetime. Multi-billion, multi-decade south side economic impact with America’s richest companies without a single negotiated community benefit/jobs plan. CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACKNESS. Gulag Economy. Jim…
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Labor Unions and Politics
On March 10 there was this story in the LA Times I meant to write about: Labor unions rethinking their role in politics As top union leaders gather in Florida on Tuesday to determine labor’s political strategy this year, the influential AFL-CIO appears poised to endorse President Obama’s reelection — despite some lingering dissatisfaction with…