I don’t have a legitimate excuse for the absences or the tardiness. Just know that I had a good time while I was away.
But now I want my country back. Or at least Florida and Texas.
Since that’s probably not possible anytime soon, I’ll settle for a mid-afternoon train to Georgia, a warm bowl of shrimp ‘n grits and the adoration of my handful of faithful readers. I hope y’all have got yourselves a consolation prize too.
Now for the links:
1. Newsweek has compiled a list of 10 U.S. cities that are poised for recovery. “These are places where the jobs are plentiful, and the pay, given the lower cost of living, buys more than in bigger cities. In other words, places unlike much of the rest of the country.” (Blackink)
2. The Economist Democracy in America blog has a good piece that puts the absurdity Republican budget cuts in perspective. Everything except Medicare, Medicaid, Social Secutiry, and defense spending is on the table … except those programs take up two-thirds of the budget. That leaves things like SNAP (food stamps), NASA and student loan programs and a whole host of other programs at risk. Sen. Tom Coburn, he of the anonymous hold, has mentioned cuts to the Pentagon budget, but I’m not too getting excited yet. (Nicole)
3. Gabe Arana at The American Prospect reminds us that the It Gets Better project isn’t about the straights. (Shani)
4. Michelle Obama “has basically conquered India, and will probably be ruling from there from now on, from a palace in a giant vegetable garden called the Taj Michelle.” (Shani)
5. Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s problems with America are legion, and they include Woodrow Wilson, the federal income tax and the New Deal, among other things. You can read all about it in his new book, “Fed Up!” Or don’t. (Blackink)
6. Also in Texas, voters there will soon learn that elections have consequences. Such as potentially dropping out of the federal Medicaid program to help fill in the $25 billion budget shortfall. (Blackink)
7. In an attempt to cut costs, New York consolidated feeding programs for the homebound elderly and began enforcing stricter eligibility rules. As a result, many residents are not getting the food they need. Meals can be reinstated through an appeals process, but with many of the participants suffering from dementia, appeals aren’t all that likely. (Nicole)
8. People are missing the point this Kansas State University nutrition professor was trying to make with his Twinkie diet: it was to counteract a current wave of arguments that says the quality of calories matter more than the quantity. His experiment, during which he just ate junk food but monitored his overall caloric intake, showed that it is true that taking in fewer calories than we burn is, at base, what it takes to lose weight. (Monica)
9. WAMU reports this morning there’s a good chance charges might be refiled against the five DC9 employees accused of beating Ali Ahmed Mohammed to death after he threw a brick through the club window after being denied entry. The medical examiner has yet to determine Mohammed’s cause of death. (Nicole)
10. Keith Olbermann returns today from being suspended for political donations. I enjoy Olbermann like the next progressive BUT The New York Times is right–we should worry about polarized news outlets, journalitic integrity and how we frame the news. (Naima)
11. What’s a “slur” to do? Ernie Lapore explains why we can’t extract the poison from venomous words. (Naima)
12. Jamilah King has a short roundup of reaction to the highly anticipated film adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s literary classic “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf.” (Blackink)
13. In a Salt Lake City courtroom, former kidnapping victim Elizabeth Smart is finally telling the story of her abduction and testifying against her one-time captor. (Blackink)
14. Men you meet in bars give great relationship advice. Well, they give relationship advice. (Shani)
15. Sidwell Friends, the tony D.C.-area Quaker private school where the Obamas send their two girls, apparently can’t buy itself a competitive football program. (Blackink)
More later. Maybe even next week.
Peace.
