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POPSThe Burden of Transcending Race For blacks, the worst thing it seems (at least in the minds of whites) is to be seen as black, which is no doubt why so many whites think it's a compliment to say things to black folks like, "I don't even think of you as black," not realizing that the subtext of such a comment is that it's a damned good thing they don't, for if they did, the person so thought of would be up the proverbial creek for sure. the success of Barack Obama has proven, perhaps more so than any other single thing could, just how powerful race remains in America. His success, far from disproving white power and privilege, confirms it with a vengeance.
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POPSTo Conservatives because they care so much about African-Americans Since conservatives claim to be the historical champions for African-Americans, this little clip lays out the road map that they must take to reclaim their legacy. All conservatives need to do is 1): reform the criminal justice system and 2): strengthen and enforce laws against employment discrimination. It's very simple and will go a long way towards strengthening those African-American families that conservatives claim to care so much about. Indeed, according to the Blumrosen study, at least 1.3 million qualified people of color will face job discrimination in a given year. Or what of the study of temporary agencies in California, which found that white women who are less qualified than their black counterparts, are still three times more likely to be favored in a job search?
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POPSAmerican Generations and The Fourth Turning (Present Time) Based on historical patterns, America will hit a once-in-a-century national crisis within the decade...'like winter,' the crisis or 'fourth turning' cannot be averted. It will last 20 years or so and bring hardship and upheavals similar to previous fourth turnings, such as the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the Great Depression and World War II. The fourth turning is a perilous time because the result could be a new 'golden age' for America or the beginning of the end.' 'It all will begin with a 'sudden spark' that catalyzes a crisis mood 'around the year 2005.' Neil Howe, William Strauss, The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy, 1997, ISBN 0-553-06682-X
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POPSAmerican Generations and Historical Change Crisis. A Crisis is a decisive era of secular upheaval. The values regime propels the replacement of the old civic order with a new one. Wars are waged with apocalyptic finality. Examples of Crisis eras include the Wars of the Roses (1459-1487), the Spanish Armada Crisis (1569-1594), the colonial Glorious Revolution (1675-1704), the American Revolution (1773-1794), the American Civil War (1860-1865), and the twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II (1932-1945), and now possibly the present time from September 11th, 2001. High. A High is an era between a Crisis and an Awakening. The most recent High was seen between World War II and the Consciousness Revolution. William Strauss and Neil Howe, in their books Generations (ISBN 0-688-11912-3) (1991) and The Fourth Turning (1997), divide Anglo-American history into saecula, or seasonal cycles of history
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POPSHigher Suicide Rates Under Conservative Government The researchers took into account periods of drought and World War II, because of their economic and psychological impact. Suicide rates were higher during periods of drought and lower during WWII. But after adjusting for these factors, the figures clearly showed the highest rates of suicide occurred when both Conservative state and federal governments were in power. Conversely, the lowest rates occurred when state and federal governments were both Labour. Middle aged and older people were most at risk. When the Conservatives ruled both state and federal governments, men were 17% more likely to commit suicide than when Labour was in power. Women were 40% more likely to kill themselves. Conservative rule traditionally implies a less interventionist and more market-orientated policy than Labour rule
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POPSNew Orleans: The Art of the Corpse by Andre Codrescu New Orleans sank into the funk like a corpse into the embrace of the earth. The rows of fridges lining the streets looked by moonlight like primed canvasses ready for painting. The city’s artists, who have been enthralled since John James Audubon by New Orleans’ embrace of decay and death (Audubon purchased all his American birds dead from the French Market) were not long in reacting. New Orleans music and art had always been inspired by funk ... Now here was all this funk, magnified a thousand times. And here were all these metal tombs stretching as far as the eye could see, more numerous than the graves they resembled. ,,, In a short time, there were thousands of art works in the city, an exhibition that stretched for miles, Today, most of the show is closed. New Orleans always renewed its armies of ghosts after every disaster of its 500-year history, but this last addition came with its own unique, absolutely new style.
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POPSIn Debt We Trust ".. a powerful credit and debt industrial complex, deliberately fueled by excessive debt."
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POPSTips on Getting Yourself to Do Something You Don't Want to Do The fact is, you're unlikely to be happy or successful when every aspect of your life or job feels like a big drag. Don't accuse yourself of being lazy or being a procrastinator, but ask - what's making this so difficult? The fact that you're finding it hard to make yourself do something is a sign that maybe you should be doing something else. On the upside: novelty and challenge, as uncomfortable as they can be, DO bring happiness. The chore that feels onerous today may give you a huge boost of satisfaction tomorrow, when it's behind you. Keep that in mind.
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POPSCan You Become a Creature of New Habits? “I apprentice myself to someone when I want to learn something new or develop a new habit,” .... “Other people read a book about it or take a course. If you have a pathway to learning, use it because that’s going to be easier than creating an entirely new pathway in your brain.” ... three zones of existence: comfort, stretch and stress. Comfort is the realm of existing habit. Stress occurs when a challenge is so far beyond current experience as to be overwhelming. It’s that stretch zone in the middle — activities that feel a bit awkward and unfamiliar — where true change occurs. “Getting into the stretch zone is good for you .. “It helps keep your brain healthy ... unless we continue to learn new things, which challenges our brains to create new pathways, they literally begin to atrophy, which may result in dementia, Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.
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POPSRacism and Discrimination at the Secret Service E. Desmond Hogan, a lawyer for the black agents, said the agents were “shocked but not surprised by the late production of significant evidence of racism at high levels in the Secret Service.” “The government’s delay,” Mr. Hogan said, “follows a pattern of the Secret Service stonewalling plaintiffs and ignoring court orders, depriving African-American agents of the fundamental evidence of race discrimination that is key to their claims.” The lawsuit, which has dragged on through years of litigation, was filed in 2000 by 10 black agents who charged that they were unfairly denied promotions. The agency employs about 3,200 agents, about 10 percent of whom are black.
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POPSPX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2008 Photographer of the Year Artist's Name: Balazs Gardi Country: Budapest, Hungary Title: The Valley Description: Afghan man holds a wounded young boy in front of a house on October 20, 2007 in Yaka China village, Kunar province, East Afghanistan. The boy received several shrapnel wounds from a rocket as a US airstrike targeted a suspected insurgent position in a nearby house the previous night. The air strike also killed five other civilians and injured at least seven villagers including children.