Whitney and the 4 points

First Point I, like many, was sadden to hear about Whitney Houston's death. Death, of anyone, is always a tragic and sad moment, Life that has ended always leaves someone sad, even the murder has loved ones. Yes, I am a child of the 80’s, I graduated in ‘84, so the soundtrack to my teenage …

Questions of Force and Faith

The death of 15-year-old Jaime Gonzalez has shaken this neighborhood along the U.S.-Mexico border, where parents already burdened by economic woes and street gangs are now faced with explaining the tragedy to their children. Making it especially hard: It remains unclear to his parents and investigators why Jaime — a drum major who danced in …

9/11: How it’s changed American and me…

With the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 upon us, I thought I would take the time to reflect a little on the event and how I have seen America change and how I have changed. First off, we all are 10 years older, maybe wiser, but that can be debated. It’s hard to imagine still that …

Black, White or American?

Image via Wikipedia Ok, here is a question…. If we want America not to be black or white, but just Americans, how can we achieve this if we keep referring to such things as “Black Unemployment” or “Black America” or the “Black Republicans” Black Democrats”  …  Kind of hard not to see color when all …

To tell the truth… Can we expect that of our politicians?

Image by Anu Ranasinghe via Flickr President Obama's much-told story about his mother's fight to get cancer coverage was untrue, according to a recently published book. And the White House isn't disputing the author's account. The New York Times reports that Janny Scott, in her biography, “A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama’s …

Air Conditioning, Cable TV, and an Xbox: What is Poverty in the United States Today?

  Published on July 18, 2011 by Robert Rector and Rachel Sheffield Backgrounder #2575 Abstract: For decades, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported that over 30 million Americans were living in “poverty,” but the bureau’s definition of poverty differs widely from that held by most Americans. In fact, other government surveys show that most of …

Church and America

Image via Wikipedia It is often said that America is becoming more and more like Europe, less religious more secular. And more than not we accept this. All we have to do is look around us, listen to the news or watch TV. The American pop culture is non-religious, the news tells us we are …

Pope allows condoms?

Image via Wikipedia Pope Benedict XVI says in a new book that condoms can be justified for male prostitutes seeking to stop the spread of HIV, a stunning comment for a church criticized for its opposition to condoms and for a pontiff who has blamed them for making the AIDS crisis worse. The pope made …

Destiny in a Flux

Image via Wikipedia Yesterday was Fathers Day, so to all the dad’s Happy Fathers Day! The word dad is a lot larger than the 3 letters that make it up, the word dad encompasses a whole concept and radical idea, or at least in today’s world it seems radical. As of late the media has …

Ernie and Detroit

Yesterday the City of Detroit mourned the loss of a great man, Ernie Harwell, the voice of summer. Ernie was the broadcast announcer for the Detroit Tigers for years. His voice on the radio meant that summer was here. As a child I use to listen to Ernie on the radio, to hear the tigers …