Slate has a great piece on the current state of Sudan. I first became enlightened about the atrocities in that African country recently, after reading, "What is the What", a heartbreaking (and surprisingly humourous at times) autobiograpical account of the life of Valentino Achak Deng. The chronicles his experience as a refugee from Southern Sundan (the book is written as a novel). My mind was completely blown away (and, honestly, my heart and soul ached in a million places). I knew that Dafur was (and remains) an international problem, but, I really didn't understand the history and the politics until after reading Mr. Deng's story. Adding insult to injury to the thousands of Sudanese refugees (not to mention that millions those who have lost their homes, livelihoods and lives), Omar Al-Bashir, the current Sudanese "President" claims that he won't run for "re-election in 2015---nevermind all of the harm and terror that he has already inflicted on the citizens of that Country (and the billions that he is accused of embezzling....What's stopping him from resigning now? What's stopping the International War Tribunal from prosecuting him for War Crimes right now?
Today, I picked up "The Race Card", a book witten in 2008 by Richard Thompson Ford, a Law Professor at Stanford. Its early in my reading, but I think I have found an analysis of race relations that seems more contemporary and relevant than a lot of what's currently on the market (whether the market is Barnes and Noble or the various cable news networks). Personally, I am tired of the accusations of racial discrmination that do more to advance the personal agenda of the accuser than to actually remove the systemic racial discrmination that negatively impacts the life experiences of many African-Americans---from sub-standard housing to poorly functioning schools. I don't know anything about Professor Ford (not that I have heard of every law professor, but I do try to stay abreast of what's going on in legal education)....
The NFL and the Player's Union has agreed to an extension of their contract negotiations...My personal opinion is "who cares?" (I am not a huge sports fan---not because I don't understand sports or appreciate the dedication inolved, but I think that the money involved is ridculous, especially considering the other problems facing the country, ie., education...). While I am under no delusion that my opinions are in the majority on most topics, I am positive without any reservation that I am in the minority with regard to my attitude on sports. Nonetheless, I don't really care...I think its ludicrous what cities/municipalities spend to lure in sports teams and stadium deals, and then the tax payers are left to deal with the downside while the owners and player make out like bandits. This is only one of the many problems that I have with "organized sports"...
Today, I picked up "The Race Card", a book witten in 2008 by Richard Thompson Ford, a Law Professor at Stanford. Its early in my reading, but I think I have found an analysis of race relations that seems more contemporary and relevant than a lot of what's currently on the market (whether the market is Barnes and Noble or the various cable news networks). Personally, I am tired of the accusations of racial discrmination that do more to advance the personal agenda of the accuser than to actually remove the systemic racial discrmination that negatively impacts the life experiences of many African-Americans---from sub-standard housing to poorly functioning schools. I don't know anything about Professor Ford (not that I have heard of every law professor, but I do try to stay abreast of what's going on in legal education)....
The NFL and the Player's Union has agreed to an extension of their contract negotiations...My personal opinion is "who cares?" (I am not a huge sports fan---not because I don't understand sports or appreciate the dedication inolved, but I think that the money involved is ridculous, especially considering the other problems facing the country, ie., education...). While I am under no delusion that my opinions are in the majority on most topics, I am positive without any reservation that I am in the minority with regard to my attitude on sports. Nonetheless, I don't really care...I think its ludicrous what cities/municipalities spend to lure in sports teams and stadium deals, and then the tax payers are left to deal with the downside while the owners and player make out like bandits. This is only one of the many problems that I have with "organized sports"...
No comments:
Post a Comment