… 500. Woot!
I started this blog early this year. This post marks the 500 mark. And in exciting news, this blog will soon be distributed through the Newstex “Blogs on Demand” syndicate.
Thanks for the support and do keep on reading. You can expect more of the politics, technology and business, with a little extra … mix I strive to post.
… and just a little thing about branding crosses onto students.
An Ohio middle-school teacher, John Freshwater, lost his job for ignoring district warnings and continuing to teach christian beliefs, and for using a high-frequency generator to brand crosses into the arms of his students.
The best quote from the link:
Freshwater’s friend Dave Daubenmire defended him.
“With the exception of the cross-burning episode. … I believe John Freshwater is teaching the values of the parents in the Mount Vernon school district,” he told The Columbus Dispatch for a story published Friday.
Yeah, take away the cross branding and continuing to use the bully pulpit of a middle-school science classroom to teach something better placed in a philosophy, theology, mythology or fiction study group, and I’m sure he’s an asset to the district.
The flooding along the Mississippi River in the Midwest is shocking. Hopefully all the affected communities will get a break in the weather soon and can begin the rebuilding process.
From the link:
Since the flooding began, 20 levees have been breached — 11 of them in the St. Louis area — and as many as 30 more remain in peril. Estimates of the damage to farmland throughout the Midwest ranged from 2 million to 5 million acres of crops, pushing corn prices close to a record price of $8 a bushel. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is said to be planning a thorough review of the damage later this month.
Can’t remember where I first saw this clip linked, but it’s been a while. And totally worth a reprise …
Those crazy Saudis!
You know that meme going around? The conventional wisdom being repeated all across every type of media that Latinos won’t support black candidates? Hold your horses — it might not be correct. In fact it may merely be an ongoing spin fabricated in the bowels of the Clinton campaign.
The above link goes to a Gregory Rodriguez Los Angeles Times column. Rodriguez cites hard numbers showing Latino voters having no qualms supporting black politicians. He goes on to break down how Clinton’s campaign could even inject the idea into the media.
From the column:
So, given all this evidence, why did this notion get repeated so nonchalantly? For one, despite the focus on demographic changes in America, journalists’ ignorance of the aspirations of Latino America is pretty remarkable. They just don’t know much about the biggest minority in the nation. And two, no Latino organizations function in the way that, say, the Anti-Defamation League does for Jewish Americans. In other words, you can pretty much say whatever you want about Latinos without suffering any political repercussions.
This political strategy of the Clinton camp might have longer legs than just this campaign if Rodriguez is correct.
He writes:
But the social costs of the Clintons’ strategy might end up being higher than the country is willing to pay. According to Stanford Law professor Richard Thompson Ford, who just published “The Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse,” such political stunts can be “self-fulfilling prophecies.”
“It could make black voters more hostile to Latinos,” he said. “And Latinos who hear it might think that they somehow ought to be at odds with blacks. These kinds of statements generate interracial tensions.”
(Hat tip: Daily Kos)
First, a congrats to LSU for its second BCS title. I’d prefer some sort of playoff system, but hey it is what it is and the Louisiana Tigers won the big game.
On to the real games. I enjoy the NFL more than any other sport and even helped develop and served as editor for the NFL Core section of the defunct BootlegSports.
The NFC features Seattle in Green Bay and the NY Giants making a second trip to Dallas to try and erase being swept by the Cowboys in the regular season. Conventional wisdom holds it’s difficult for one pro football team to win three games against the same opponent in one season.
As a Cowboy fan I expect CW to go down in flames when “bad” Eli makes the trip to Texas Stadium. After two pretty solid games he’s due for a crash.
I also think Mike Holmgren won’t enjoy his trip back to Lambeau.
Over at the AFC, the Colts should easily handle San Diego at home. The defending champs are just too solid this year.
The Jacksonville/New England matchup is interesting. I’ve believed all year the Patriots were playing too jacked up throughout the regular season in response to Spygate. Their production trailed off toward the end of the season, and I think it could be attributed to mentally and physically wearing down after going full-bore to crush each opponent, no matter how weak. Plus the game-planning has not been well suited for inclement weather.
This weekend could be the test that busts up the unblemished record. I don’t think the Jaguars are the better team, but they have a dangerous air. If the weather is bad the Jags might even have a slight edge. Something to ponder for Pats fans out there.
Expect general commentary here on media, politics, sports and more. Probably expect heavy commentary on politics in 2008 with the presidential election in full swing.
A ways back I started an antiweblog on my site. In that light this blog can be seen as a capitulation to the zeitgeist.
