How about some chicken wings and a limo ride to the polls?
It’s tough to know if this half-baked, fully-fried, get-out-the-vote effort had much effect, but Shreveport mayoral candidate Bryan Wooley advanced to a Nov. 2 runoff against popular incumbent Cedric Glover.
Glover won 45 percent of the vote in Saturday’s election, while Wooley earned 31 percent. If Wooley really wants to make some inroads with black voters next month, he might think about including some malt liquor, fat asses and a live DJ.
And if he can get Hurricane Chris – one of Shreveport’s finest sons – to show up and perform, I’ll be there and hand out ballots.
On to the roundup:
1. Confirming what many of us already suspected, a new study has found that predatory lending aimed at poor minority neighborhoods kicked off the U.S. housing crisis. Surprised? (Blackink)
2. Researchers found that race and ethnicity was a factor in delayed breast cancer diagnosis, regardless of the patient’s insurance status. (G.D.)
3. In case you missed it, Slate’s Timothy Noah has a great series on inequality in the US. (Nicole)
4. Xe, the mercenary firm formally known as Blackwater, has set up dozens of front companies in order to camouflage its activities and dealings with the government. (G.D.)
5. A few cities are trying to push back against the federal program that mandates a check of the immigration status of anyone booked into local and county jails. (Blackink)
6. Nevada’s largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, gives the nod to Sharron Angle. What has the printing world coming to? (Naima)
7. Desiree Rogers, who left her White House post amid controversy, is the new chief executive of Johnson Publishing, which produces Ebony and Jet. (G.D.)
8. Ohio has ruled that milk with rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) is “a compositional difference” than milk without it. rBGH is a hormone given to cows to increase milk production. The FDA approved it for use in 1993, despite evidence that it causes health problems in cows and possibly humans. Both Canada and Europe (nanny state socialists!) have banned it. (Nicole)
9. WalletPop reveals the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in the country. Chicago’s W Lake Street takes the top spot, while Atlanta has the most neighborhoods on the list with four. (Blackink)
10. The Movement for the Emancipation for the Niger Delta (MEND) bombed ceremonies celebrating Nigeria’s 50th year of independence on Friday morning. (Nicole)
11. Japan hops on the U.S. travel ban-wagon against Europe … an alert really. (Naima)
12. ADT is scaring customers in Santiago, Chile into buying security systems. (Nicole)
13. In the words of The Poor Man Institute, a for-pay fire department in Tennessee let “the motherf*cker burn.” (Blackink)
14. In Southwest Florida, boom and bust residential development has drastically altered the once-lush landscape. (Blackink)
15. Tampabay.com is asking its readers to elevate the discourse following a number of cruel comments that appeared at the bottom of a recent news story about a hit-and-run victim. The St. Pete Times followed up with a thoughtful epilogue about the man, noting that the comments prompted the story. (Blackink)
16. This is what chicken nuggets are made of, although anyone who watched Jamie Oliver’s “Food Revolution” knew that already. (Nicole)
17. Let’s not ignore the social benefits of drinking. (Nicole)
18. Mapping stereotypes. (Blackink)
19. Overall, Americans have apparently figured out 41 different combinations for sex. That’s a scale that likely runs from Christine O’Donnell (zero) to Prince (24 positions in a one-night stand). (Blackink)
20. When it comes to talking about race, Dave Zirin suggests that LeBron stop walking the fence. (Blackink)
Enjoy. May your week, like your chicken wings, have a little spice to it.
