Thoughts & Musings

Trayvon Martin Case Causing More Beatings?

Mobile police need your help to catch a mob that beat Matthew Owens so badly that he’s in critical condition. According to police, Owens fussed at some kids playing basketball in the middle of Delmar Drive about 8:30 Saturday night. They say the kids left and a group...

» Spike in Autism Linked to High-Fructose Corn Syrup

A new study published in the journal Clinical Epigenetics reveals that both the Standard American Diet (SAD) and various toxic environmental factors play a definitive and synergistic role in the development of autism.  According to the study, high-fructose corn syrup...

Tale of Two Missions

Absolutely amazing piece of work about Chicago's failing schools. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmnFQkD0Eg0] I have considerable new found respect for Mr. Williams after seeing this.  I always thought we was railroaded out of NPR unfairly.  But I also...

How Big Should Government Be?

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.-- Gerald Ford, Joint Statement to Congress, August 12, 1974.I had not heard this before two days ago (yes, I don't know where I've been either.) ...

Pentagon Smears Critics

The first casualty when war comes is the truth. -- Hiram Johnson No one knows this better than the folks at the pentagon. The newspaper USA Today said Friday an editor and reporter probing Pentagon propaganda efforts have been targeted by an online "misinformation...

Keith Olbermann Wanders Aimlessly in NY

Unemployed, perennially confrontational talking head Keith Olbermann aimlessly wandered around Central Park South earlier this week, seemingly looking for a friend or a purpose. Our spies snapped unflattering pictures of Olbermann decked out in a giant red pullover...

Prescient or Racism?

Again, a UK paper carries a story no U.S. media outlet would touch. In his three years as U.S. president, Barack Obama has been dogged by claims he is not patriotic enough.  ... Now it emerges that similar fears were expressed about his father, who was categorised...

Food Stamps & Taxes Suggest We’re Nearing the End

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from...

The Catholic Church Engages

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9vQt6IXXaM] A friend of mine, who also happens to be a Baptist minister, once told me that despite being a life-long Democrat he had to endorse Bush over Kerry.  Kerry was just simply not compatible with his religion. There is...

Chicago Teachers’ Union Closer to Strike

Both sides have agreed to the appointment of a fact-finding panel that has 75 days to issue a report recommending terms for settlement of the labor contract. Once that report is issued in the middle of July, the parties have 15 days to accept or reject the panel’s...

Record Number of Americans Renounce Citizenship

Last year, almost 1,800 people ... renounc[ed] their U.S. citizenship or handing in their Green Cards.  That's a record number since the Internal Revenue Service began publishing a list of those who renounced in 1998.  It's also almost eight times more than the number...

CHA Relocations = Higher Crime Rates?

According to the Sun-Times: Crime was worse in neighborhoods where former Chicago Housing Authority residents used vouchers to move into private apartments, a new study found. From 2000 to 2008, violent crime was 21 percent higher in neighborhoods with high...

European Markets Tank

European markets took a big hit today, obliterating any hope generated by yesterday's rally. Contagion is back, baby!  ... Italy and Spain led the downward trend, with the latter index briefly down over 4 percent.  Yields on Spanish government bonds continued to push...

‘Why Didn’t White Folks Keep Them for Themselves?’

The Chicago Teachers Union, and school employee unions in general, are pulling out all the stops to slow down a school choice and education reform movement that is bowling them over in numerous states and cities. Bold reform efforts are being pushed by the likes of...

Is the Fed Promoting Recovery or Desperation?

A lengthy beating to the Fed begins: On Friday, the Department of Labor reported that March non-farm payrolls increased by 120,000, falling well short of consensus expectations in excess of 200,000. ...  On the payroll front, our present expectation is that April job...

Fostering Creativity in Education

CNN has a few articles about improving education: Blue School is on The Next List because it’s an institution championing creativity and curiosity by bringing together the best minds to encourage educational reform. In the process it’s celebrating the famous adage “Be...