Oh Hell No.

SOURCE:  http://www.JackAndJillPolitics/~3/292478392/oh-hell-no.html

from Kathleen Parker's latest column for the Chicago Tribune,

"We love to boast that we are a nation of immigrants. But there's a different sense of America among those who trace their bloodlines back through generations of sacrifice."...MORE

The fact that Parkers is syndicated by the Washington Post Writers Group shows how utterly mainstream nativist white thought is--you would never see Louis Farrakhan with a nationally syndicated column, the backlash would be enormous. Yet here is Parker, lauding the virtues of "full-blooded" Americans.

[Pittsburgh] As Deaths Outpace Births, Cities Adjust

As Deaths Outpace Births, Cities Adjust

A new phenomenon in some areas, the changing age demographic forces municipalities to rethink how to serve the needs of an older population.

...."At a certain point the school system becomes no longer viable," said Grant Oliphant, the new president of the Pittsburgh Foundation, which is overseeing a program that provides college scholarships worth up to $40,000 for any student who has attended the city's public schools since the ninth grade and graduates from high school with a grade point average of at least 2.0...

NYT > Home Page 5/17/08 9:21 PM By SAM ROBERTS and SEAN D. HAMILL Aged Medicine and Health Pittsburgh (Pa) Families and Family Life

China earth quake Survivor: I drank urine to stay alive

China earth quake Survivor: I drank urine to stay alive

A 46-year-old man who was rescued almost 100 hours after the devastating earthquake hit China, said he lived on cigarettes and paper napkins and drank his urine to survive those critical moments, the state media Xinhua reported. "I searched my pockets and found half a pack of cigarettes and a few sheets of paper napkins. I broke the cigarettes into pieces and ate them. After the cigarettes, I turned to the paper napkins," Mr Peng Zhijun said. He was dug out from the rubble of a collapsed buil...

GroundReport.com 5/17/08 9:30 PM

As Prices Rise, Crime Tipsters Work Overtime

As Prices Rise, Crime Tipsters Work Overtime

To gas prices, the cost of rice and foreclosure rates, add this economic indicator: the number of tips to the police from people hoping to collect reward money.

NYT > Home Page 5/17/08 9:32 PM By SHAILA DEWAN and BRENDA GOODMAN Finances Police Florida Economic Conditions and Trends

The Economy: Americans Selling Belongings to Make Ends Meet

The Economy: Americans Selling Belongings to Make Ends Meet

Americans are selling belongings just to make ends meet. Many are struggling with debt, raising prices in gas and food as well as utilities. The cost of health insurance and prescriptions on are on the rise also. To help meet their needs many people are selling family heirlooms as well as their own belongings on websites such as eBay , craigslist, auctionPAL, LiveDeal, and eBizAuctions...

...Steadily rising health care costs are consuming an ever-growing portion of American's household budgets. Many, under age 65 are in families that will spend at least 10 percent of their income on health costs in 2008. The main reason consumers are spending more on health care is because of rising health insurance premiums. Between 2000 and 2007, the average annual premium for job-based family health coverage paid for by employer and employee combined rose from $6,351 to $12,106, an increase of more than 90 percent. Despite decreases in generic prescription costs by large retailers, formulary and non-formulary co-pays continue to increase as well.

Socyberty 5/17/08 9:40 PM

The Evolution of Propaganda Design: US Retro Posters

The Evolution of Propaganda Design: US Retro Posters

With the popularity of my previous blog post on Soviet propaganda posters, I've decided to follow up with an even larger collection of American propaganda posters from roughly the same period, covering the two world wars as well as the period of the Great Depression in-between.

Crestock Stock Photos Design and Photography Blog 5/14/08 1:36 PM

15 Tips for Life: Little Things to Make Life Easier and More Fun

15 Tips for Life: Little Things to Make Life Easier and More Fun

1. Cleaning the toilet a pain? Just take 1 can of coke, pour around the bowl and leave overnight. Flush in the morning and job done!
   
2. Fuel prices getting you down? Try adding some pure acetone to your tank and your mile per gallon will shoot up!
3. On the subject of cars, did you know you use less fuel using your brakes to come to a stop than letting your car slow itself down.
   
4. Like to surf the internet? Download Firefox as an alternative to internet explorer, its faster and easier!
5. Ever think that shops are ripping you off? Ask for the manager and say you're paying in cash if the price is 10% lower, you'll be surprised what you can achieve!
   
6. Want a new mobile from a network, but its cheaper on another? Networks are told to undercut any other networks but only on request, so make sure you bring it up!
   
7. Want to save money on....everything? Try www.quidco.com and see how much cashback you could get!
   
8. Did you know all coke machines can be hacked? Imagine the buttons are numbered downwards 1, 2 ,3 4. The default code to access the configuration screen is 4, 2, 3, 1
   
9. Oil on your hands, cant seem to get it off? Try putting sugar and washing up liquid together and washing your hands in it!
   
10. Tired of not being paid to search? Try this.
11. Cats in your garden? Spray lemon juice around the edges, they hate it!
    
12. Water bills too high? Put a brick in the back tank of your toilet, this will make it use less per flush!
    
13. Another water tip, try buying a water conserving shower head, they actually feel better than regular shower heads and use considerably less water!
    
14. Did you know giving lampposts are sharp kick will turn them off for a few minutes? This is great entertainment for those long walks at night!
    
15. Want a drink but don't like carbonated ones? Add a pinch of sugar to any carbonated drink and it will become still, watch out though it's quite explosive!

Socyberty 5/14/08 1:39 PM

The Rich Drink Better Beer, Not More

The Rich Drink Better Beer, Not More

The average item bought by the average buyer has an income elasticity of nearly one: most people roughly double their spending when their income doubles. But everything we buy consists of both a quantity dimension and a quality dimension. What's clear is that the income elasticity of demand for quantity is less than one: when [...]

Freakonomics 5/14/08 2:38 PM Daniel Hamermesh General beer Daniel hamermesh

Brazil facts of the day

Brazil facts of the day

1. Brazil has become a net creditor nation for the first time in its history.

2. About 15% of the Congress is under formal investigation for crimes, ranging from attempted homicide to money laundering.

3. Since 2005 more than 20 million people have entered "the middle class," defined as a monthly income of $635.  The percentage of middle-class Brazilians has grown from 34% to 46%.

Those facts are all from "Brazil Joins Front Rank of New Economic Powers," in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal.

Marginal Revolution 5/15/08 3:11 PM Tyler Cowen Current Affairs

The secret family life of a false memory

The secret family life of a false memory

Thanks to Aaron and Frontal Cortex for simultaneously alerting us to this fantastic animation that recounts a charming real life case of a false memory.

Families are like incubators for false memories because each family has its favourite stories, anecdotes and foundational myths that get passed on, retold and molded in the retelling, like an intergeneration game of Chinese whispers.

I have many early memories that I simply don't know whether I genuinely remember, or I just think I do, because I've heard stories or seen the photos so many times.

I love listening to families talk about memories, because its fascinating to hear how recollections can vary, each highlighting a different aspect, as well as how they resolve conflicting accounts.

The animation shows exactly this process in action, showing us that remembering is more than just an individual process, it's often a group activity.

Link to This American Life animation on memory.

Mind Hacks 5/15/08 5:27 PM vaughan vaughan@backspace.org http://internal.iop.kcl.ac.uk/ipublic/staff/profile/external.aspx?go=10947 Remembering

Racism in Tokyo

Racism in Tokyo

A serious video about a sensitive subject.

Japan Probe 5/16/08 3:58 AM Claytonian Discrimination Comments

Sumo

Sumo

The NPR sports show Only a Game has a 6 1/2-minute segment on Sumo.  It's largely a primer on the sport but also focuses a lot on Asashoryu, the controversial, Mongolian, grand champion who is one of one of only two top-ranked yokozuna.  In brief, he seems to get himself into trouble such as breaking a car mirror after a match, playing soccer in Mongolia on a supposed-sore knee, and not appearing in the expected kimono.  The story also touches on other topics such as the controversial death of a 17-year old stable apprentice.

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Japundit 5/16/08 5:00 AM Brian Engel Japan Sports Sumo Comments

Indian village proud after double "honor killing"

Indian village proud after double "honor killing"

BALLA, India (Reuters) - Five armed men burst into the small room and courtyard at dawn, just as 21-year-old, 22-week pregnant, Sunita was drying her face on a towel.

Reuters: International News 5/16/08 5:46 PM worldNews

Students Fail -- and Professor Loses Job :: Inside Higher Ed

http://www.insidehighered.com/

A subtext of the discussion is that Norfolk State is a historically black university with a mission that includes educating many students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The university suggests that Aird — who is white — has failed to embrace the mission of educating those who aren’t well prepared. But Aird — who had backing from his department and has some very loyal students as well — maintains that the university is hurting the very students it says it wants to help. Aird believes most of his students could succeed, but have no incentive to work as hard as they need to when the administration makes clear they can pass regardless...MORE

Is it patronizing theft to buy natural resources?

Is it patronizing theft to buy natural resources?

Leif Wenar says yes:

You very likely own stolen goods. The gas in your car, the circuits in your cell phone, the diamond in your ring, the chemicals in your lipstick or shaving cream — even the plastic in your computer may be the product of theft. Americans buy huge quantities of goods every day that are literally stolen from some of the world's poorest people.

...The very worst countries — the "sevens" — are places like Burma, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Taking these very worst countries as the places where the people could not possibly be authorizing the dictators and civil warriors to sell off their country's resources, we can measure the amounts of stolen resources that enter America each year. By these official U.S. criteria over 600 million barrels of oil–more than one barrel in eight — have been taken illegitimately from their countries of origin. Stolen oil may be in your car's gas tank right now. Stolen oil might have been used to make the computer mouse in your hand.

That's Leif Wenar, here is more.  He proposes suing Exxon to create a chain reaction, thereby lowering the value of dictatorial seizures of natural resources and perhaps preventing them.  I'm sure the Chinese are on board.  But no -- read further: we must sue them too.  After all, their cheap toys are made with stolen oil.

Marginal Revolution 5/14/08 11:34 AM Tyler Cowen philosophy

12 Holidays Around the World That are Nice to Know 1

12 Holidays Around the World That are Nice to Know 1

While there are holidays that are celebrated by most countries around the world, there are also holidays that are exclusively celebrated in one country that are not well-known to others. It may be nice for us to know some of these holidays that may not be recognized and celebrated in our own country.

I have provided brief descriptions of twelve holidays from around the world, one holiday for each month of the year, each celebrated only in its country of origin. Just in case you plan to travel all over the globe, here are some celebrations you can look forward to. This first part of my article includes holidays celebrated in the first half of the year.

1. Pongal - India

   In January, to honor the sun and the rain that ripen the rice crops, southern India celebrates this great harvest festival where families cook the new rice in milk and wait for it to bubble. As soon as it does, they shout, “Pongal!” (“It boils!”). They offer some of the sweet rice to Surya the Sun God before they taste it themselves as they dance. On the second day they honor the rain, and on the third day they honor the cattle. In some areas, farmers attach rupees to the horns of the fiercest bulls and decorate their cows with flowers. Those who are brave enough try to grab away the money from the bulls.

2. Argungu Fishing Festival - Nigeria

   In February, the Kebbawa people in Argungu, northwestern Nigeria, celebrate the beginning of the fishing season with a New Year's festival. Along the banks of the Sokoto river thousands of people carrying calabash dippers and butterfly fishing nets gather. At a signal everyone jumps into the river together to startle the fish and send them leaping into the nets. A prize awaits for whoever catches the largest fish.

3. Hina Matsuri - Japan

   In March, the Japanese commemorate their old tradition of rubbing paper dolls on their bodies to draw out evil spirits, then throwing the dolls into a river. In the 1700s they began to make the dolls out of clay and many people liked the clay dolls too much that they could not throw them away. Mothers saved the dolls for their daughters and now, on “Doll Festival,” their daughters display a set of 15 dolls on stands covered with red cloth. Girls visit each other to admire their displays, each of which is a set creating a beautifully dressed royal court, with an emperor, his wife, and their attendants.

4. Ra-Ra - Haiti

   In April, every day between Palm Sunday and Easter, groups of people-the Ra-Ra-come down from the hills to dance for money. Each dancer wears a red shirt and carries a red flag. Some are carrying kerosene lamps, some are cracking whips, some are beating drums. As soon as the crowd sees the group's leader who is dressed like a jester and is twirling a long baton, the cry “Ra-Ra!” The Ra-Ra dance celebrates spring but also mourns the death of Jesus Christ. Throughout the three days before Easter the Ra-Ra dance intensely then stops on Easter Sunday.

5. Maytime Fairies - Ireland

   In May, the Irish remembers the time when fairies would appear during their Maytime revels and casts mists over travelers and displace familiar landmarks. The Irish stayed close to home to avoid trouble. If they needed to travel, they wore their coats inside out, which they believe could confuse the fairies. Families also watched over their children closely because fairies were known to abduct them. As a precaution, people in some parts of Ireland leave bits of food and drink on a doorstep, at a well, or at any place the fairies might cross.

6. Tano - Korea

   In June, Koreans celebrate a spring festival which began in ancient times as a planting rite, and is now special for their children. Girls have swinging competitions while boys have wrestling matches. In advance, very tall swings are raised in each town so each girl will have a chance to practice. Many girls wear special dresses for the event. And in some areas, every participant must be able to ring a bell with her foot when she is high in the air. The girl with the most number of times to hit the bell wins a prize.

Socyberty 5/14/08 10:31 AM

test

test

Friendly "Fire"

Friendly "Fire"

When firing an employee, there's a right way, a wrong way, and a way that leads to litigation.

CLIENTELEVISION 7/26/07 7:00 PM channels - employment law

daily bREAD

Hittites | The First Civilizations

Hittites | The First Civilizations

Until the early twentieth century, scholars knew the Hittites chiefly from references in non-Hittite sources. Uriah, for example, whom (the Bible tells us) King David arranged to have killed in battle in order to keep his wife Bathsheba, was a Hittite.

Channel: Science Tags: civilization history

Propeller.com Hot Stories 5/12/08 2:31 AM fruitllama array Comments

Gang of girls 'blew up house with home-made bomb over row about boy'

Gang of girls 'blew up house with home-made bomb over row about boy'

A gang of teenage girls may have blown up a house with a home-made liquid bomb, which killed a man in a neighbouring property, after arguing with another girl about a love rival.

Channel: News Tags: bomb home explosion

Propeller.com Hot Stories 5/12/08 3:22 AM digitalfever array Comments

STD testing for youth

STD testing for youth

By Dr. Jeffrey Klausner. If you need to get checked for STDs, is there an age limit? Do your parents have to know? In California, anyone age 12 or older can ...

Channel: Health & Fitness Tags: STD HIV diseases testing youth

Propeller.com Hot Stories 5/12/08 9:11 AM hurr1 array Comments

Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause

Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause

For all the hope and excitement Obama's candidacy is generating, some of his field workers, phone-bank volunteers and campaign surrogates are encountering a raw racism and hostility that have gone largely unnoticed -- and unreported -- this election season.

Channel: Politics Tags: U.S. Politics Barack Obama Bigotry Racism America

Propeller.com Hot Stories 5/13/08 6:28 AM Aidenag array Comments

Roots of Haiti's food crisis run deep

Roots of Haiti's food crisis run deep

Subsidized U.S. rice began flooding in 30 years ago, so cheap that Haitians began eating it instead of the corn, sweet potatoes, cassava and domestic rice that had sprouted from plains and mountainsides from the colonial era to the late 1980s.

Channel: Food Tags: haiti subsidized food

Propeller.com Hot Stories 5/13/08 1:01 PM berkeley array Comments

Moo-ving devotion

Moo-ving devotion

North Side florist sells Best Chocolate Milk in the Universe

Last week, Dish reported that Kerry Kennedy, proprietor of K.S. Kennedy Distinctive Floral, Gift, & Gourmet and #1 Brunton Dairy Fan (along with Mrs. Dish), hoped to find a North Side retailer to sell the glass-bottled milk. Judging on the amount of neighbors who've been asking Kennedy to fetch milk for them, he believes there's a market for this elixir d'amooore.

Afraid local retailers might be wee bit lactose intolerant, Kennedy's contacted Brunton Dairy to to inquire about selling the milk in his Allegheny West floral and gift shop. Adequate cooler space provides plenty of room for milk and petunias to chill comfortably.Though Kennedy hasn't heard from the Brunton Family yet, he has some items available for sale today:

-Milk: Two chocolate, two strawberry, two (low-fat) white. Half-gallon bottles are $3 each plus $1.35 deposit.

-Brunton Dairy t-shirts ($15 each)

Also, if you're interested in placing an order, contact Kennedy at 412-322-ROSE.

Pittsburgh Dish 5/13/08 3:14 PM Colleen Van Tassell scoop du jour north side business & retail

President Signs Student-Loan Bill in Effort to Ease Borrowing Woes

President Signs Student-Loan Bill in Effort to Ease Borrowing Woes

The legislation attempts to make it easier to take out federal loans by allowing borrowers to defer repayments.

Education Week-American Education News Site of Record 5/13/08 3:29 PM articles

Air Force Aims for 'Full Control' of 'Any and All' Computers

Air Force Aims for 'Full Control' of 'Any and All' Computers

The Air Force wants a suite of hacker tools, to give it "access" to -- and "full control" of -- any kind of computer there is. And once the info warriors are in, the Air Force wants them to keep tabs on their "adversaries' information infrastructure completely undetected."

Wired News 5/13/08 4:00 PM Danger Room

Team 4: Disruptive Students Get Easy Ride Through High School

Team 4: Disruptive Students Get Easy Ride Through High School

Did you ever wonder what happens to high school students who get removed from school because they have disruptive behavior? Some of them drop out, but many more get what is called an "alternative education."

ThePittsburghChannel.com - Local News 5/13/08 4:08 PM

Kerosene-soaked man burns to death in police custody

Kerosene-soaked man burns to death in police custody

It's a situation that almost beggars belief, but a Nagoya man died on Sunday after having doused himself in kerosene and being given a lighter by police.

Police were called to a domestic disturbance on Saturday night in Atsuta.

Six officers were dispatched to the scene and the man walked out onto the road to greet them, carrying an 18-liter jerry can filled with kerosene. He walked about 200 meters along the road, pouring kerosene over his head as he did so on three separate occasions, using about 5 liters of the flammable liquid.

Incredibly, rather than arrange for the man to have a change of clothes, the police interrogated the man while he was still wearing the kerosene-soaked clothes. They then gave him cigarettes and a lighter when he asked them. The report then becomes a little unclear, but it appears he was then left alone in the interrogation room for 15 minutes during which time he smoked several cigarettes, without by some miracle setting himself alight. It was only later being interviewed by three more officers that the fateful spark occurred.

Deputy Chief Michiharu Kondo, in criticising the officers, added rather inappropriately that the man shouldn't even have been given cigarettes because the police station has a no-smoking policy.

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Japundit 5/13/08 5:00 PM overoften scandal really japan dumb disaster crime and punishment accident Comments

World's Tiniest Horse Visits Patients At Children's Hospital

World's Tiniest Horse Visits Patients At Children's Hospital

Many children were smiling and having fun on Tuesday at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh after a surprise visit by Thumbelina, the world's tiniest horse.

ThePittsburghChannel.com - Local News 5/13/08 6:42 PM

Kenneth Rogoff: The Silver Lining in High Commodity Prices

Kenneth Rogoff: The Silver Lining in High Commodity Prices

Cambridge – Today's soaring commodity prices scream a fundamental truth of modern life that many politicians, particularly in the West, don't want us to hear: the world's natural resources are finite, and, as billions of people in Asia and elsewhere escape poverty, Western consumers will have to share them. Here is another truth: the price mechanism is a much better way to allocate natural resources than fighting wars, as the Western powers did in the last century.

Project Syndicate 5/13/08 6:45 PM

Haitian protesters trade food riots for jobs

Haitian protesters trade food riots for jobs

LES CAYES, Haiti (Reuters) - The demonstrators who ignited last month's violent protests against rising food prices in Haiti have accepted U.S.-sponsored jobs rather than follow through on a threat to launch new riots in the impoverished Caribbean country.

Reuters: International News 5/13/08 6:53 PM worldnews

How does gene therapy work? [Ask the Experts]

How does gene therapy work? [Ask the Experts]

Gene therapy is the addition of new genes to a patient's cells to replace missing or malfunctioning genes. Researchers typically do this using a virus to carry the genetic cargo into cells, because that's what viruses evolved to do with their own genetic material.

The treatment, which was first tested in humans in 1990, can be performed inside or outside of the body. When it's done inside the body, doctors may inject the virus carrying the gene in question directly into the part of the body that has defective cells. This is useful when only certain populations of cells need to be "fixed." For example, researchers are using it to try to treat Parkinson's disease, because only part of the brain must be targeted. This approach is also being used to treat eye diseases and hemophilia, an inherited disease that leads to a high risk for excess bleeding, even from minor cuts. [More]

Scientific American 5/13/08 7:00 PM health biology

Pop Video: Downtown Pittsburgh--Play!

Pop Video: Downtown Pittsburgh--Play!

Produced by Pittsburgh Downtown Partnerships, the Play Downtown video portrays our dynamic downtown and the wealth of things to do.

Pop City 5/13/08 8:00 PM features

Is Social Security Just A Grand Ponzi Scheme?

Is Social Security Just A Grand Ponzi Scheme?

By Xin Lu

I received my Social Security statement this week and it was a useless piece of paper to me since I do not qualify for retirement benefits yet. I always hear critics of Social Security say that it is a government sanctioned Ponzi scheme, and today I did a little research into why this comparison is often made.

Ponzi scheme is named after Charles Ponzi, an Italian immigrant who promised investors 50% returns in 45 days on an investment of postal coupons. He raked in millions of dollars in investments in less than a year in 1920. In actuality he was paying the earlier investors with money he collected from later investors and did not invest the money at all. Eventually the scheme collapsed because Ponzi just could not find enough new suckers to pay for the ealier investors who wanted to cash out. Ponzi went to prison and after he was released he returned to Italy and became a top financial advisor to Mussolini.

The Social Security program does have a few similarities to a Ponzi scheme...MORE

Wise Bread 5/13/08 10:47 PM Xin Lu taxes social security scams personal finance history Comments

Enka Gets Funky

Enka Gets Funky

Okay. I get the Jero thing.

He's of mixed race, from the States, with a Japanese grandmother to whom he promised he would one day be an enka star. And now he is. Hip hop costume and all.

Not many people sing enka these days. Hitomi Shimatani, a fading pop-star, originally debuted as an enka singer, before moving on to do, well, pop. So, I think it's incredibly cool that Jero has carved out a place for himself. Plus he sounds lovely.

You don't necessarily need to understand Japanese to get the start of this video, which displays photos of Jero as a youngster, and shows him winning a "Japanese gong show" type program on NHK. Later, he's challenged to see how many Enka songs he actually knows out of over 100. He wins every challenge. If you stick out to the end of the video, you'll see him bust out a few dance moves.

I came home with the Jero single. I would never do the same for that other contrastingly talentless import. Now I am playing the sad, sad Umiyuki song over and over.

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Japundit 5/13/08 11:00 PM Marie Mockett music Comments

Adderall Dubbed "College Crack"

Adderall Dubbed "College Crack"

That's quite a term for the Adderall taking and snorting that's apparently sweeping across college campuses and which is detailed in Northern Illinois University's Northern Star. I'm not sure if it's an apt term, but it sure is catchy.

"Mild forms of amphetamine, such as Adderall and Ritalin, are supposed to help calm people who have ADD or ADHD, making it easier for them to concentrate. But, these drugs can have a paradoxical effect if taken by people who do not have these disorders. They can make some users more alert and hyper, while reducing appetite and increasing feelings of euphoria, paranoia and aggressiveness. Some call the drug 'college crack' because of its potency and frequent use and abuse by college students.

"'I couldn't sleep and I wasn't hungry,' said Andrew, an NIU student who once used the drug. 'All I wanted to do was clean and study.'

"Paul, an NIU transfer student, said that before coming to NIU, he was given Adderall from a friend who had a prescription for the drug.

"'It makes you very interested in whatever you're doing, more alert,' Paul said. When writing a paper, he said he did extra research into the subject because the Adderall made him more interested.

"'The next day, I was very hyper and had a fast heartbeat,' Paul said."

Furious Seasons 5/13/08 4:03 AM Philip Dawdy (philip.dawdy@gmail.com) adhd

The [Other] Storm

The Storm

The storm ravaged the city's architecture and infrastructure, took hundreds of lives, exiled hundreds of thousands of residents. But it also destroyed, or enabled the destruction of, the city's public-school system—an outcome many New Orleanians saw as deliverance....The floodwaters, so the talk went, had washed this befouled slate clean—had offered, in a state official's words, a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reinvent public education." In due course, that opportunity was taken:...Stripped of most of its domain and financing, the Orleans Parish School Board fired all 7,500 of its teachers and support staff, effectively breaking the teachers' union. And the Bush administration stepped in with millions of dollars for the expansion of charter schools—publicly financed but independently run schools that answer to their own boards. The result was the fastest makeover of an urban school system in American history.

That's from The Atlantic just over a year ago.  Guess what?  It's working. The storm is coming.

Marginal Revolution 5/13/08 7:30 AM Alex Tabarrok education economics

Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency

Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency

A ban of most flavored cigarettes would exempt menthol cigarettes, popular among African-Americans.

NYT > Home Page 5/13/08 7:39 AM spices smoking and tobacco regulation and deregulation of industry recalls and bans of products philip morris companies inc law and legislation house of representatives food and drug administration blacks american tobacco

Daily bREAD

Probe into violent crime on track, says minister

Probe into violent crime on track, says minister

Efforts to determine why crime in South Africa is often accompanied by excessive violence will soon bear fruit, Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula said on Tuesday. The justice, crime-prevention and security cluster of ministers will present a progress report to the Cabinet at a July lekgotla (meeting).

Mail & Guardian Online 5/13/08 7:49 AM national

'People do stupid things, that's what spreads HIV'

'People do stupid things, that's what spreads HIV'

When Elizabeth Pisani began her career as an HIV epidemiologist, fewer than 1,5-million cases of HIV/Aids had been reported across the world. Within a year, by the end of 1997, 30-million people were estimated to be infected with HIV. As Pisani wrote in her first report for World Aids Day, that meant one in every 100 sexually active adults aged between 15 and 49 worldwide.

Mail & Guardian Online 5/13/08 9:10 AM Decca Aitkenhead international

Modified Human Embryo Stirs Fears of 'Designer Babies'

Modified Human Embryo Stirs Fears of 'Designer Babies'

Scientists genetically alter a human embryo for the first time, drawing fire from critics who say they're tampering with nature and run the risk of creating babies with specific genetic traits, a charge the lab coats deny.

Wired News 5/13/08 10:35 AM Associated Press