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Next Entries »Murder made for prime time
Wednesday, February 9th, 2005Last week I posted a note about the disproportionate news coverage generated by a murder in the Lower East Side. This week’s Village Voice chronicles the story behind the story of how a seemingly unexceptional murder became front page news around the country. Race is undeniably part of the duFresne story. The randomness and location [...]
Inaugural Quotables
Friday, January 21st, 2005“We cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.” “You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, [...]
The Bar’s Been Raised
Thursday, January 20th, 2005In light of Monday’s MLK commemoratives (see posts from 1/17) and today’s inauguration, it’s worth noting that, “With little fanfare and not much credit, President Bush has appointed a more diverse set of top advisers than any president in history” (from “Bush is opening doors with a diverse Cabinet,” USA Today, 12/09/04). Even Democratic strategists [...]
Dobson, Is This a Good Thing?
Thursday, January 13th, 2005[James] Dobson, perhaps more than anyone, will be most credible in leveraging evangelical power at the voting booth. That’s partly because, politics aside, he’s unrivaled as an evangelical leader. “Given Billy Graham’s advanced age,” says Richard Land, president of the 16 million-strong Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, “it’s James Dobson who’s stepped [...]
How to Infuriate Anti-Faith Folks
Wednesday, January 12th, 2005Say the following when you’re President of the United States: “I fully understand that the job of the president is and must always be protecting the great right of people to worship or not worship as they see fit,” Mr. Bush said. “That’s what distinguishes us from the Taliban. The greatest freedom we have or [...]
A Hero in Thailand: The YW8? (Why Wait?) Generation
Monday, January 3rd, 2005Saturday’s New York Post published an inspiring article about a 10 year old vacationer-turned-hero during the tsunami in Phuket, Thailand. January 1, 2005 — PHUKET, Thailand – Quick-thinking 10-year-old Tilly Smith is being hailed as a hero after saving her parents and dozens of fellow vacationers from the deadly tsunami – thanks to a school [...]
From Wikipedia, on what Triggered the Tsunami
Wednesday, December 29th, 2004From the Wikipedia entry about the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake: The total energy released by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake exceeds the total amount of energy consumed in the United States in one month, or the energy released by the wind of a hurricane like Hurricane Isabel over a period of 70 days. Using the mass-energy [...]
Global Disaster … Global Compassion
Wednesday, December 29th, 20049/11/01 was a defining moment for our world in part for igniting the Global War on Terror. So too 12/26/04, or more specifically the world’s collective response to it, can redefine Global Compassion. The scope of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami has claimed at least 135,000 lives (as of 12/31) in 11 nations spanning [...]
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