TNC, in his takedown of Slate piece in which Will Saletan calls black people a ‘left-leaning’ constituency: Any writer who’s spent significant time in the suburbs of Atlanta, on the South-Side of Chicago, or here in Harlem, knows that black people aren’t “left-leaning”–they just think the GOP is racist. Surveys may show blacks leaning-left on Read More
From two days ago: Two men on a motorcycle used water pistols to spray acid on girls walking to school Wednesday in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, blinding at least two of them, military spokesmen said. An Afghan schoolgirl sits in a hospital Wednesday after being sprayed with acid in Kandahar, Afghanistan. … The Read More
Seems like most of my regular readers don’t eat red meat (and presumably pork). That’s one of the black people things that I’ll never get. I respect people who eat what they feel is right for them — my sis is a vegetarian and my dad doesn’t eat red meat or pork — but I’m Read More
via Sully, some very thoughtful arguments for teacher tenure, the bogeyman of education reform. Knocking teacher tenure is easy but simplistic. There would be some specific gains from eliminating tenure — getting rid of (or re-motivating) some deadwood. But you’re ignoring the real systematic costs. Tenure is a form of compensation: it gives teachers job security and some degree of classroom autonomy. Read More
Over the past week, every one of my friends has quite seriously expressed interest in one of the 8,000 non-career gigs available in the new Obama administration. (Apparently, even Hillary Clinton is flirting with the prospect.) But one of the downsides to applying for one of the top gigs in the incoming administration it that Read More
From UN Dispatch: Last week, 13-year old Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was stoned to death in Somalia by insurgents because she was raped. Reports indicate that was raped by three men while traveling by foot to visit her grandmother in conflict capital, Mogadishu. When she went to the authorities to report the crime, they accused her Read More
Ezra thinks so. Out in Alaska, Mark Begich has taken the lead from Ted Stevens, and as Dave Weigel notes, he looks likely to keep it. If Begich and Franken both win their late races, that brings Democrats to 59 in the Senate, including Joe Lieberman. And then there’s the Martin/Chambliss run-off, which could bring Read More
[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.744722&w=425&h=350&fv=videoId%3D210301] I completely overlooked this while being swept up in the Obama afterglow, but Kevin Johnson was elected the mayor of Sacramento. I don’t know too much about his policy positions yet, so I’ll stay quiet on that. For what it’s worth, he’s always been a stand-up dude. But I need to shout out Read More
From Powerline: Obama thinks he is a good talker, but he is often undisciplined when he speaks. He needs to understand that as President, his words will be scrutinized and will have impact whether he intends it or not. In this regard, President Bush is an excellent model; Obama should take a lesson from his Read More
So it looks like Lieberman will be allowed to keep his gavel on Homeland Security, mainly because Obama and Dick Durbin want him to. That’s really amazing, considering all the grimy shit Lieberman has pulled over the last eight months and because his chairmanship on Homeland Security gives him subpoena power and means he could Read More
