Colin Powell broke with the Republican Party and endorsed Barack Obama for President this morning on Meet the Press. This is sure to be met with cheers from black folks across the 'net. Not sure how the GOP is going to take it. If nothing else, having the most respected military official in the country give Barack the 'OK' has to seriously impede that experience argument.
Powell also had some important things to say about this whole "He's a Muslim" nonsense. Specifically, "So what???" He's not the first person to point out the terrible offense of damning someone for being Arab or Muslim in a country where Arabs and Muslims die in uniform every day. But having someone make the argument over coffee on Sunday morning had to help drive the point home. Well done.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Blacks and Health Care
Despite spending 2-to-1 on health care, the infant mortality rate in the U.S. continues to exceed that of other industrialized nations. And black women have higher than average rates of premature births, even when receiving regular medical care. The thought that blacks face exceptional health risks even before birth is disheartening, but no more so than the reality that HIV/AIDS, high blood pressure, and diabetes all disproportionately affect black Americans. It'll be interesting to see how universal health care shakes out in communities already facing crisis-level health problems.
Full story by Gardiner Harris at The New York Times:
Infant deaths in the United States declined 2 percent in 2006, government researchers reported Wednesday, but the rate still remains well above that of most other industrialized countries and is one of many indicators suggesting that Americans pay more but get less from their health care system.
Infant mortality has long been considered one of the most important indicators of the health of a nation and the quality of its medical system. In 1960, the United States ranked 12th lowest in the world, but by 2004, the latest year for which comparisons were issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that ranking had dropped to 29th lowest.
Full story by Gardiner Harris at The New York Times:
Infant deaths in the United States declined 2 percent in 2006, government researchers reported Wednesday, but the rate still remains well above that of most other industrialized countries and is one of many indicators suggesting that Americans pay more but get less from their health care system.
Infant mortality has long been considered one of the most important indicators of the health of a nation and the quality of its medical system. In 1960, the United States ranked 12th lowest in the world, but by 2004, the latest year for which comparisons were issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that ranking had dropped to 29th lowest.
Market falls sharply Wednesday
After a record gain on Monday and tentative trading on Tuesday, the Dow closed down more than 700 points today. It's unlikely to stabilize anytime soon. The reality is that no one quite knows what's going on. There's $700 billion on the table no one seems to know how to use, and word on the street is that we haven't seen the last of the bank failings. The market's probably not the safest place for your life savings right about now.
Full story by Michael M. Grynbaum at The New York Times:
On Wall Street, stocks dropped sharply, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 733.08 points or 7.8 percent with the broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index down 90.17 points or 9 percent. Many investors fear that corporations — and by extension their workers and shareholders — will face harder times in the months ahead.
The key troubles lie with the American consumer, who, after months of coping with soaring gasoline prices, is now faced with enormous losses in the stock market and an uncertain financial future...
Full story by Michael M. Grynbaum at The New York Times:
On Wall Street, stocks dropped sharply, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 733.08 points or 7.8 percent with the broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index down 90.17 points or 9 percent. Many investors fear that corporations — and by extension their workers and shareholders — will face harder times in the months ahead.
The key troubles lie with the American consumer, who, after months of coping with soaring gasoline prices, is now faced with enormous losses in the stock market and an uncertain financial future...
Does drinking alcohol shrink your brain?
One too many 'happy hours' could make you more than sluggish for work the next day. Theresa Tamkins examines if too much alcohol can actually cause brain defects.
By Theresa Tamkins, CNN
Excerpts: What's good for the heart may hurt the brain, according to a new study of the effects of alcohol. People who drink alcohol -- even the moderate amounts that help prevent heart disease -- have a smaller brain volume than those who do not, according to a study in the Archives of Neurology.
For the full story, log on to www.cnn.com
By Theresa Tamkins, CNN
Excerpts: What's good for the heart may hurt the brain, according to a new study of the effects of alcohol. People who drink alcohol -- even the moderate amounts that help prevent heart disease -- have a smaller brain volume than those who do not, according to a study in the Archives of Neurology.
For the full story, log on to www.cnn.com
Experts warn of Election Day meltdown
Experts are warning of possible large-scale voting problems on November 4th. Word? You don't say. Everyone's favorite flip-floppers, Florida and Ohio are back at the forefront of a possible Election Day meltdown. And officials in other states are saying new voting machines may not record votes properly. This seems like the kind of thing we might want to get under control before November 4th. Early voting will help alleviate some of the strain from what's sure to be a record voter turnout. But the last thing anyone wants is to be counting (and re-counting) ballots by hand into the wee hours of the morning. Again.
Full story by Ben Smith and Avi Zenilman at Politico.com:
The likely trouble spots, the experts say, include two familiar election reprobates: Ohio and Florida... But there are also some new entrants. Many pointed, in particular, to Colorado as the possible source of a late night November 4, while others suggested that record turnout in states like Virginia and Georgia could challenge local election officials.
"There's still reason to be concerned in terms of what's going to take place in November," said Kimball Brace, whose firm, Election Data Services, advises local governments on election administration.
Brace cited everything from new machines in Cleveland and South Florida to the rise in absentee voting, many of which are counted by error-prone "optical scan" machines...
Full story by Ben Smith and Avi Zenilman at Politico.com:
The likely trouble spots, the experts say, include two familiar election reprobates: Ohio and Florida... But there are also some new entrants. Many pointed, in particular, to Colorado as the possible source of a late night November 4, while others suggested that record turnout in states like Virginia and Georgia could challenge local election officials.
"There's still reason to be concerned in terms of what's going to take place in November," said Kimball Brace, whose firm, Election Data Services, advises local governments on election administration.
Brace cited everything from new machines in Cleveland and South Florida to the rise in absentee voting, many of which are counted by error-prone "optical scan" machines...
McCain in danger of losing Red States
CNN is reporting that John McCain is struggling to hold onto states that Republican candidates have carried for the past 40 years. It appears the Obama campaign's 50 State Strategy is paying off. Not only is McCain trailing by double-digits in Virginia, but he is in danger of losing Michigan, Colorado, and Florida. These are all states that George W. Bush won in 2004. Of course, as someone said recently, it doesn't take 350 electoral votes to win an election. A landslide would be great, but let's hope the Obama folks are making sure they're not losing ground in "safe" places while they're out courting new voters.
Full story by Paul Steinhauser at CNN.com:
President Bush won Virginia by nine points over Sen. John Kerry in 2004, and the state hasn't voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since 1964...
It's a similar story in Colorado, a state that hasn't voted for a Democrat in the race for the White House in 16 years. The new poll indicates the Illinois senator holds a four-point edge over McCain, 51 percent to 47 percent...
Full story by Paul Steinhauser at CNN.com:
President Bush won Virginia by nine points over Sen. John Kerry in 2004, and the state hasn't voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since 1964...
It's a similar story in Colorado, a state that hasn't voted for a Democrat in the race for the White House in 16 years. The new poll indicates the Illinois senator holds a four-point edge over McCain, 51 percent to 47 percent...
Dr. King’s Children Battling Over Book
Family feud might deter the biographer of Civil Rights legend Coretta Scott King.
By Robbie Brown, The Washington Post
Excerpts: ATLANTA — The three living children of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have feuded before. This time the squabbling is over the legacy and estate not of their father but of their mother.
In the third King v. King legal dispute in four months, two of Dr. King’s children are refusing to provide a biographer of their mother, Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006, with a collection of her photographs, letters and personal papers. Their brother, Dexter King, chairman of their father’s estate, has asked a judge to force them to comply.
For the full story, log on to www.washingtonpost.com
By Robbie Brown, The Washington Post
Excerpts: ATLANTA — The three living children of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have feuded before. This time the squabbling is over the legacy and estate not of their father but of their mother.
In the third King v. King legal dispute in four months, two of Dr. King’s children are refusing to provide a biographer of their mother, Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006, with a collection of her photographs, letters and personal papers. Their brother, Dexter King, chairman of their father’s estate, has asked a judge to force them to comply.
For the full story, log on to www.washingtonpost.com
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